The Song we used to sing
by Twilight Marionette
Summary: Ichigo, the substitute Shinigami meets Akatsuki, a Arrancar with the ability to see peoples memories. Will Ichigo be able to save her from both Soul Society and Aizen's grasp and will Akatsuki be able to save Ichigo from himself. Ichigo/HollowIchigo X OC.
1. Chapter 1

_**Introduction**_

_**Twilight Marionette:** Hello everyone and welcome!_

_**Twilight Puppeteer:** Who are you talking to?_

_**Twilight Marionette:** Silence!_

_**Twilight Puppeteer:** Pfft._

_**Twilight Marionette:** Ahem -coughs-This is my first story and I hope you guys like it._

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **Your confidence is awe inspiring._

_**Twilight Marionette:** Silence!_

**Authors Note: This is set in a AU Bleach world, the Winter War ended in a stalemate after Kurosaki Ichigo managed to rescue Orihime before Aizen could trap the 4 Captains, forcing him to change his plans. This story will be Ichigo/HollowIchigo x OC for the most part. Paragraphs written in Italic's are dreams/memories and italics within paragraphs are character thoughts.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, well, except the ones I made of course.**

_**Prologue**_

**_Some time in the future-_**

Ichigo felt the rain fall on to his face, each drop cool and heavy against his skin as his eyes slowly opened. His eyes focused on the storm clouds raging above, cracks of lightning shacking the sky as the heavens roared their anger. Ichigo tried to move but his body wouldn't respond, it felt heavy and tired but there was no pain.

The girl held tightly to him, his back pressed against her body as she held him in her arms as they sat there in the rain. Feeling him try to move she gently tightened her grip around his chest and rested her chin on his shoulder, gentle tears fell from her eyes.

Ichigo turned his bleary eyes to face her, not sure who she was, her face was familiar but he didn't know her. "Who, are you?" he managed to say to her.

Her face had a gentle smile on it, despite the tears falling from her eyes, _"You don't know me,"_ as she spoke her fingers curled into fists. _"But you did once,"_ her eyes closed as her tears increased, her smile never failing her._"And that's all that matters, in the end."_

_**Chapter one: Unexpected kindness**_

_**Present day-**_

Akatsuki slumped against the wall, her left arm wrapped tightly around her stomach, the pain felt like it was burning through her and her breathing had become ragged and hoarse, each breathe felt like it would kill her. Half dragging the left hand side of her body across the wall she made another effort to struggle down the alleyway, her right arm hanging limp at her side. Even in the confined space of the alley the rain felt heavy and she imagined she could feel every drop, her clothes and hair were starting to feel so heavy as she limped slowly towards the street. With concentration and effort she walked out of the alley and into the sudden freedom of the street. Without the alley wall to support her Akatsuki was struggling to stand upright and was vaguely sure she was swaying from side to side. Despite the downpour the street was quite well lit for this time of night and in both directions it looked deserted, at least as far as Akatsuki's blurry vision could tell and she started to limp across the empty road. By now the pain had spread throughout her body and each step brought a whimper of pain from her lips, though she stifled most of the noise as she couldn't afford to be heard by her pursuers, she was too hurt to resist them and if they found her now she knew she wouldn't last long. The sound of footsteps made her panic and turn around fast on her heel but her balance had long since abandoned her and she fell spinning backwards to the ground, the heavy rain assaulting her exposed face washing away the blood from her skin. Wearily she waited but heard no more footsteps, had she imagined them maybe, she wasn't sure, everything was becoming uncertain in her mind. Perhaps it was just a sound from her imagination. She smiled a little to herself and with great effort managed to roll onto her side and rise to her hands and knees, slowly clambering to her feet, using her sheathed sword as a walking stick. However before walking more then another five feet she let out a pained whimper as she felt her legs give out from under her and she toppled to the floor, her body hitting the ground hard. Her wounded arms both laying by her sides and her head on its side, her long pale red hair blowing freely with the wind. All of her strength had abandoned her and she could no longer even struggle to stand up. Her eyes were all but devoid of life and she sighed as her eyes slowly closed, blacking out the world as unconsciousness took her.

The man watched as the girl limped from the alley, her reiatsu had drawn him here from his clinic. He had been asleep when he had first felt it and was surprised that it woke him up at all, it felt so weak and fragile as if it would break like glass. Having got dressed quickly he rushed out into the wind and rain but by the time he had traveled the few streets the reiatsu had all but faded and it was hard for him to follow it. Just as he was about to give up he saw her. Limping from an alley out into the street in a white kimono like outfit, her long red hair hanging down her back from the weight of the rain. She must have heard or sensed him for she seemed to turn and trip before clumsily dragging herself up again. The man started towards her only to see her collapse under her own weight and topple to the ground. Her sword clattered to the ground and traveled a short distance before coming to rest at the mans feet. He reached down and picked up the long sheathed blade, he could tell by just holding it that it was a Zanpakuto, but this was unimportant at the moment. Carrying the sword to the girl he knelt down and lifted her her head onto his outstretched knee. After checking her arm wound he opened her eyes, there was no response and her eyes seemed devoid of any life in them. However, he was sure he could feel some life still in her broken and bleeding body. Making a quick decision he scooped up her surprisingly light body into his arms, her head resting snugly against his left shoulder. Though he had long since severed his ties to Soul Society, he was not going to leave this girl in the street to die, no one was going to die tonight.

-----------------------------------------------

_The rain dripped down her hair and across her face, small rivers flowing down from her eyes like tears flowing from those eyes obscured by the shadow from her overhanging hair. She stared down at the sight before her, a young girl slumped down against a half finished brick wall in a lonely construction yard, the rain beating its rhythm on her still body. Her hair was ragged and soaked, as where her torn clothes, she must have been in the rain for quite some time before she stopped moving. She probably wasn't going to start moving again either. __The girl crouches down in front of the broken girl and tries to look at her face but no matter how hard she tries to reach out, her arm wont move, her fingers wont unclench. Why am I angry, why am I scared and intimidated of the dead girl she thinks to herself, her heart beating so fast she fears it may burst at any moment. Why do I pity this girl so much, why does she make me want to cry so much. She stands up and tries to call for help but no one comes, no one ever comes, her lips move but the words never escape, they merely hang there, unspoken and unheard._

Akatsuki awoke with a scream as consciousness wove its way into her mind and with it came the pain, she sat upright clutching her right arm defensively. "It was, a dream?" Akatsuki said to herself, "It felt kind of nostalgic though." She rubbed her right arm, noticing that it had been bound in bandages by someone who knew what they were doing. She tried to sit up but every muscle in her body was screaming at her and reluctantly her head came back to rest on the pillow.

"Well maybe it wasn't a dream but a memory?" said a girls voice to Akatsuki's left.

Akatsuki slowly turned her head and saw a raven haired girl sitting there, panic rushed over her, "Ahhhh! Who, who, who are you?!" she said pointing her finger accusingly.

Taken aback by Akatsuki's sudden outburst the raven haired girl nearly jumped out of her skin as well. "Don't just shout like that!" As she sheepishly sat back down she remembered that the girl had every right to be frightened. "Sorry that wasn't very nice of me eh? Don't worry, your safe here," a sneer crossed her face, "Well safe enough, this is our family clinic, my dad found you last night and brought you here."

"Last night?" Akatsuki responded slowly, it didn't sound familiar to her, everything was blurred and hard to see in her mind. She couldn't remember anything about last night at all.

"Yeah, said you were in a pretty bad way, nearly bleed to death apparently," the girl said as she put a thermometer into Akatsuki's mouth and read off the temperature. "Though what he was doing out so late at night isn't something I want to think about." She laughed sarcastically at her own comment.

Akatsuki wasn't quite sure what was going on and wasn't sure how to respond, "Thank you?" was the best she could come up with.

"Not to fast on the uptake eh? Well that's OK I guess, your head was pretty banged up last night," the raven haired girl said to Akatsuki.

Akatsuki looked at the girl properly, enough of her senses returning for her to actually take notice of her surroundings. The girl had shoulder length black hair and although she looked slightly boyish to Akatsuki she was kind of cute, noticing Akatsuki's stare she blushed slightly.

"The names Karin, by the way, whats your name Miss?" Karin said to Akatsuki, breaking Akatsuki's stare.

"Akatsuki," she responded slowly, slightly bewildered by the situation still. Akatsuki looked around the room, it was plain and practical yet it felt safe and warm. Remembering that Karin was still in the room she looked back at her.

"Just Akatsuki? No last name to go with that?" Karin asked sarcastically.

"Akatsuki?" Akatsuki responded, turning her head on its side quizzically.

Karin's face remained emotionless, half expecting the answer, "Akatsuki Akatsuki?" she said in a deadpan voice.

"No, just Akatsuki, I think," Akatsuki responded with a smile, her head still turned slightly on its side.

"OK..." Karin responded, "I'll ask again later when your more with it."

Akatsuki quietly laughed before asking in a more serious tone, "Where am I?"

"I told you, my dads clinic, this is the Kurosaki clinic." Karin got up and walked over to the window and opened it, letting a refreshing cool breeze blow into the room, she turned around to face Akatsuki and realized that she had fainted. Sighing she walked over and laid her back down properly on the bed, pulling the covers over her arms and chest. She brushed some loose hair from her face and quietly left the room, closing the door with a gentle bang. Karin stepped out into the hallway and as if sensing her fathers presence turned to face him, "Girl seems like a real brain donor, had this dopey confused look on her face," she let out a sigh and carried on, "Where did you find her anyway?"

Striking a cool pose, well, at least what Isshin thought was a cool pose, he said in a well practiced macho voice "I rescued the fair maiden from a lonely and cold death. I heard her cry and I came running to her rescue!"

Karin expected this and turned her back to him and walked away, replying sarcastically "Don't do anything, weird, to her while I'm gone OK dad?"

With mock shock he replied "I would never do such a thing, I'm almost insulted Karin-chan!"

Smiling to himself he walked over to his newest patients room and smiled at the sleeping girl. He decided that had gone very well, no one had noticed that the girls body was a gigai, though there was no reason why they should. Ichigo would probably realize he decided but he knew Ichigo would make up his own mind about that himself. Though he knew she was an Arrancar, he wasn't going to leave her to die over something like that. The situation was awkward, he would have taken her to Urahara but at the time he didn't think she would last that long. There was something about her eyes as well, a kind of quiet gentleness that told him his family was in no danger at all from this Akatsuki.

-----------------------------------------------

Akatsuki woke up suddenly again, sweat drops forming on her forehead. It had been the same dream from earlier and she felt sick to her stomach. Sitting up in the bed she took in her surroundings and remembered her earlier conversation with the girl called Karin. '_What kind of place is this_?' she wondered to herself, she had been in spiritual form when she had collapsed so whoever found her had either been a spiritual being as well or a human with strong spiritual powers. The girl had said it was her father who had brought her here, '_But why could the girl see me, maybe all of this family have the same gift?_' she thought. Akatsuki painfully sat up and turned her body around till her legs were hanging over the side of the bed and gently stood up, wobbly and unsteadily she walked towards a mirror on the door and looked at herself. Her head had been bandaged up as had her right arm and her stomach. Someone had dressed her in a light blue dressing gown after tending to her wounds. Something was wrong though, her body felt strange and unwieldy, _'This must be a gigai that's all, no wonder my wounds don't hurt as much as they should. But who? And why has someone placed me in a gigai_?' A puzzled look crossed her face, then she blushed as another thought occurred to her, '_Whoever it was has seen me naked! Someones going to suffer!_' Her enthusiasm however made her feel faint and she had to lean against the door for support.

"Well, at least I'm alive," she said to herself. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.

Pressing her ear to the door she listened for other noises in this place but only heard a muffled hum of conversation and laughing, '_a television show perhaps?_' She knew humans enjoyed that kind of thing for some reason. It might have been the gigai's weak sense's but she couldn't here anyone else in this so called Clinic.

"Its not like I wanted to thank them or anything but should they really leave a patient on her own?" Akatsuki said looking almost insulted, then a realization hit her she hit her clenched left hand into her open right hand. After a few seconds of crying like a little girl from the pain she shook her poor right hand, her thoughts returning to what had prompted such a dumb response, "I should really get out of here."

Akatsuki walked unsteadily back into the center of the room. Once she was satisfied she was standing upright she raised her left hand forwards into the air, then made a circular motion and pushed forward as if she pushing at a wall. Nothing happened, she tried again and again but still nothing happened. She lowered her arm, then with a frustrated sigh fell forwards onto the bed, not only did a gate to Hueco Mundo not open, it had exhausted her even trying. This situation had become most grave indeed.

-----------------------------------------------

Later that day Akatsuki was visited by a kid dressed in blue jeans and a white short sleeved shirt sporting a spiky orange haircut. As he entered the room he waved to her and pulled a chair over to the side of her bed where she was resting, however Akatsuki had already lost interest in him and in five whole seconds had managed to completely forget he was there. She assumed he worked here or something like that and tried to ignore him.

"Whats your name?" said a voice to her left, "Hello? You in there?"

Akatsuki slowly turned to face him as if only just noticing him for the first time. He looked like a human but Akatsuki could feel a great amount of reiatsu coursing through him, even with the dulled senses of the gigai. Akatsuki lost interest again and stared out of the open window.

"You can speak right?" he waited patiently then gave up. "Ah stop spacing out and just answer me," he said as he put his head into his hand in frustration. Ichigo looked at the girl sitting up in the bed, her gaze on something he couldn't see out of the window. Her eyes where a deep shade of gold that Ichigo had rarely seen before and her skin was so smooth and pale that she looked almost like a doll. She had long pale red hair which he realized must reach below her waist when she was standing up. He had to admit that she looked very cute, especially with the light from the open window lighting up her skin even further.

Akatsuki sighed inwardly, until she knew where she was and why she was here, she had to stay here and rest up, which would be much easier if people didn't keep bothering her. "Akatsuki." Akatsuki said flatly.

"You got a last name to go with that?" he said with a slightly stressed tone.

Akatsuki continued to look out the window with a purely uninterested expression, appearing to take a great deal of time to think about the answer, "Akatsuki."

"Your name is Akatsuki Akatsuki?" Ichigo said with little enthusiasm.

Akatsuki suddenly turned to face him, the sudden movement took him slightly off guard. She studied him critically, her stare unnerving Ichigo slightly as her head seemed to be moving ever so slightly closer. "Your sister said the same thing."

"Karin?" Ichigo asked, "How did you know she was my sister?"

Akatsuki smiled as she answered, "You both ask the same things and you both smell the same," just after the words left her mouth Akatsuki realized how bad that sounded, her mouth still agape and her face turning red. She started waving her arms around frantically as she spoke much too fast, "That isn't to say I was smelling you! Or your sister either! Its just that you both have the same odor! Not that I'm saying you both smell or anything!"

Ichigo watched bemused as Akatsuki seemed to be having a nervous breakdown, waving her arms about frantically and talking non stop, her face going redder and redder. Only a moment ago he couldn't get her to talk. Before she completely overloaded he interrupted her.

"I suppose we look kinda similar as well I guess," Ichigo said.

Akatsuki grabbed onto that branch of sanity and went with it, "That's what I meant to say, you say the same things and look the same!" Akatsuki shot him a thumbs up.

Ichigo knew what he had heard but wasn't going to comment on it, anymore of that insane ranting and he would end up with a headache. "How about I just call you Akatsuki?" Ichigo said.

"My name is Akatsuki," Akatsuki replied, an oblivious look on her face.

Ichigo decided to have one last attempt before giving up, "Well then you won't mind if I call you Akatsuki-chan then will you? I mean you obviously don't mind when it comes to names."

Akatsuki was still flustered from her embarrassing rant when she responded, "Akatsuki-chan," she said slowly, then after a break of about three seconds something clicked inside her head and drew her out her thoughts. "Do I like a kid to you?!" she shouted while waving her arms up and down, all flustered and red faced again.

"Hehe Akatsuki-chan is such a cute name though," He said holding back a grin. "If your not a kid stop waving your arms up and down like a idiot!" Ichigo said triumphantly

Akatsuki turned her face back to the window so that Ichigo couldn't see how red it was. "I um don't really use any other name, its kinda like, the only name I've got."

Sensing her sudden discomfort Ichigo let her off the hook for now at least, "Whatever, I'm sure you've got your reasons. The names Ichigo, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo left the room quietly, though really there seemed little point as Akatsuki had already seemed to forget his existence the moment he got up and walked away from her. Heading down the stairs he rounded the corner and headed towards the kitchen. He was sure she wasn't human, the small amount of reiatsu he could sense from her felt like that of a shinigami. But her eyes, though they looked normal he could see something deep down inside them, something that screamed Arrancar to him. He would confront her, after that he would do what needed doing, one way of the other. Though he to admit, he didn't sense a single drop of malice or anger from her, she seemed kind of, depressed if anything.


	2. Agreement

_**Twilight Marionette:**Da da da da! Second chapter done!_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **Must you act like such a fool?_

_**Twilight Marionette:** Silence!_

**Authors Note:** Thank you to those who read my first chapter, I appreciate it. Since this is my first story its all very hit and miss. Please R&R if you have the time as I love both compliments and constructive criticism.

Yeah I know this will be a slow chapter too but don't worry the story will speed up a little soon.

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Bleach or its characters etc etc. Though I do own my own characters and idea's, probably. xD

**Chapter Two : Agreement**

Akatsuki had fallen asleep for the third time that day and awoke with a awful groggy feeling in her head. Her memories of recent events still blurry in her mind. She sat upright in the bed and looked out of the window, the sun had long since set and the moon was rising over the houses across the street, the sky so clear that she could see so many stars. She gingerly got out of bed, slipping of a pair of fluffy slippers that someone must of put there after she had fallen asleep. '_These humans sure are kind to strangers_.' she thought to herself with a smile then nodded to herself, _'I should find the man who brought me here, I wonder what kind of person he is._' Akatsuki walked over to the door and just as she reached for the handle she hesitated, _'I don't really have anyway of thanking him though._'

"Hmmm I could always just say thank you, its not much but I feel I owe that at the very least" she said to herself with a serious expression. Akatsuki retreated away from the door and walked back towards the bed. With a small amount of concentration she separated from the gigai, its now empty form crumbled to the floor. Akatsuki bent down and picked it up and laid it flat on the bed, making sure to make it look like it was asleep. '_I wonder who put me in this gigai anyway? And why?_' she thought to herself.

Free of the gigai's restraints she shook herself off and concentrated on the area around her. Three people, there were three people in the clinic not including herself. Two women and one man. But she couldn't sense anyone or anything beyond the building. A slight sense of unease ran through her mind. She had never been very strong or powerful like the others had but at least she had always been a lot more perceptive, her finely tuned sense's could detect things others couldn't and much faster even when they could. Just like her _other _ability it was one of the few things she knew she could always rely on. But now she wasn't so sure.

"This isn't good, I don't feel like my power has recovered in the slightest and I don't have the option of going home to regenerate it would seem, what am I supposed to do?" she said to herself while holding one hand to her mouth in thought, her injured arm hung by her side limp. Her attention was drawn by something white and she glanced down at her arm and saw it was bandaged. '_Well of course it_,' was she thought to herself, someone treated her in this form before placing her into the gigai. That person must of then wrapped bandages around the gigai in the same places she had been injured so as not to arouse suspicion. She blushed slightly at the thought that someone had done all that for her. She raised her left hand to her forehead, slowly and carefully she unfurled the bandage from around her head, allowing her hair to spill down her back. Feeling the sensation of release she shook her head dramatically, her long red hair flowing freely through the air, the moonlight giving the scene a almost magical feel. She stretched her body while making sure not to move her right arm and felt a wave of pleasure sweep through her, it felt lovely to be free of the confines of her head bindings and that gigai. She smiled happily to herself and walked gracefully over to the window and slid it open so that the cool refreshing night air swept all around her, her long red hair blowing about the room behind her. She looked up at the stars again and sighed, if there was one thing she hated about home it was the lack of stars.

Then a sudden realization hit her and she silently cursed at herself for not noticing it sooner, her Zanpakuto wasn't with her. Normally it was tied vertically across her back but it wasn't there, nor could she feel it anywhere close. Someone had not only taken it but hidden it from her. If only her powers weren't so badly weakened she would be able to find it easily. It was probably the same person who had saved her life and she relaxed slightly, this person had helped her but wasn't taking any chances either. It was very likely that he knew what she was then if he went out of his way to hide her sword. Then again, maybe he hadn't found it at all and was more concerned with saving her life at the time.

"I wonder where he's put my Zanpakuto? I do hope he didn't just leave it the the street, its gonna be a pain to find if its lost again!" She let out a heavy sigh, "Not that I could use it right now, I'm probably weaker then a human injured like this." She closed her eye's and let the cool night air push all of her worries to the back of her mind. She breathed in deeply to catch the scent of the breeze and her heart skipped a beat, there was someone just outside, close, on the roof perhaps. There was no way whoever it was didn't hear her talking to herself just now. Her mind raced at the thought that she had been overheard, '_I need to kill them, I can't let them leave, what if it is a Shinigami?_' She sniffed the air again and her heart faltered, it smelled like a Shinigami. Steeling herself for the worst she jumped away from the window back into the center of the room and stood ready for the attack, but it didn't come. Without her Zanpakuto and her reiatsu being so low from her injuries she didn't stand any chance against a skilled opponent.

"If your going to attack me then get it over with, I won't run and I won't hide if its my life your here for! I'm tired of running!" she declared, hoping that the assassin outside didn't hear the waver in her voice.

There was no reaction, just the sound of the gentle breeze blowing into the room and the sound of a car driving down the moonlit street. Akatsuki almost let her guard down and it was then that he made his move. It was so fast that Akatsuki almost didn't perceive the movement at all, had it not been for her keen senses she wouldn't have even been aware of him move behind her. She spun around fast just as the presence appeared behind her and jumped backwards towards the window out of his immediate reach. Akatsuki realized that she had been right, it was a shinigami, his long black kimono shifting in the breeze, his hand resting around the hilt of a guardless sword strapped to his back. His face was hidden by the darkness but she could tell his eyes were locked with hers. The moonlight shone through the window, slowly revealing his face and she realized who she was looking at, it was the orange haired kid, Kurosaki Ichigo. Dressed in full Shinigami attire with what looked like a huge butchers blade strapped to his back, he resembled a Shinigami in every way. Akatsuki noted that she didn't feel overly threatened by his appearance though. She didn't feel any malice from him at all. Ichigo just stood there, their eyes locked with a grin on his face.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Akatsuki said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Guess I'm really in a bad way when I can't even tell I'm talking to a shinigami. Though I guess that was your gigai huh?"

Ichigo noticed that the fear had gone from her voice once she had seen his face, her pose was now relaxed with her hands on her hips. His grin faded and his face took on a more serious expression, "I think we need to talk, Akatsuki-chan."

"What about I wonder," Akatsuki responded, she slowly edged backwards until she all but two feet from the open window. She inwardly grimaced at her actions, if it came to blows she would have to run but even then she doubted she could get very far in her injured state. The speed at which Ichigo had moved was just too fast to evade without her own reiatsu to bolster her own speed.

"About your intentions, Akatsuki!" Ichigo's hand tightened around Zangetsu's hilt. "I'm not a fool Akatsuki-chan, I know that your an Arrancar and I want to know what you want with my family! Did Aizen order you here?!"

Akatsuki inwardly laughed at that statement but she kept her expression neutral. "My intentions?" Akatsuki replied, her calm expression replaced with a sudden look of melancholy, her eyes arced away towards the floor, "I guess I don't really have any. I didn't plan to be here. I guess, I'm just going to keep moving forward until I can no longer move. If I had any intentions I don't remember them."

"What? What are you talking about?" Ichigo said. Releasing his grip on Zangetsu he let his arm drop to his side, "What where you doing here then? Who hurt you so badly?"

"That's a lot of questions Kurosaki, questions which I can't answer." Akatsuki said playfully and shrugged. She carefully watched his expression.

"You mean you won't?" Ichigo responded angrily. His hand started to reach for his sword again.

"I mean I can't! I don't know who hurt me! I don't remember at all!" Akatsuki shouted back at him, frustration and anger mixing together. It was the truth, she really didn't know why or how she ended up here in the real world in this state. The fact that she couldn't open a way home worried her most of all, it meant she was either too weak, or had been abandoned altogether. She subconsciously reached towards her neck, her fingers stroking the thick bone collar that made up her broken mask.

Ichigo noticed the tears of frustration forming at the corners of her eyes. Though he had come here to force a answer from her he hadn't come here with the intention of killing her unless he had too but her voice and face told him she was telling the truth. "Alright alright don't start with the water works!" he said to her while scratching his head. He considered Akatsuki for a few moments then made a decision. "I don't mind you staying here till you feel up to leaving." He knew he might be being naive but he wanted to give people a chance.

Akatsuki hadn't been expecting him to say anything like that and was taken by surprise. "Really?" Akatsuki strode towards Ichigo and looked up at him, her golden eyes staring deep into Ichigo's brown eyes. She reached her hand up to touch his forehead but he pulled away from her defensively. A sudden gust of air blew into the room causing her hair to blow around her and Ichigo, as if trying encircle them both in its silken strands. "Why should you be so kind, you should want to kill me, or at the very least exile me from your house. Are you not worried about what I am at all? What kind of idiot are you?!" She chastised him, prodding him with her finger. Ichigo stood dumbfounded at her actions, a moment ago he was threatening her and now she was chastising him for sparing her realized what she doing and pulled her hand away fast and hid it behind her back, she shot Ichigo a nervous smile. _'Good idea, way to push your luck Akatsuki!'_ she thought to herself.

After regaining his composure Ichigo considered his next answer. "Are you the honorable sort? If you made me a promise would you keep it?" Ichigo responded with a grin that said he knew the answer. He watched her eyes closely.

"Yes," Akatsuki responded. The idea of bowing to this Shinigami's will didn't sit well with her but she knew she had to play nice until she was either able to leave, or fight back.

"Then swear that I can trust you'll cause us no trouble or harm," Ichigo said.

"I can, it was never my intention to hurt any of you to begin with!" Akatsuki said with a huff as she spun around and crossed her left arm around her chest. That was the truth, she really didn't like hurting people for no reason. Even shinigami.

"No weird stuff either," Ichigo added.

Akatsuki turned her head and responded with a raised eyebrow. "Define weird."

Pretending that he hadn't heard he carried on. "Once your healed up your out of here OK? Don't go looking for trouble either, I don't need any hassle."

"OK," Akatsuki nodded, "I'll leave once my injuries are healed up."

"And you can call me Sir Ichigo as long as your here." he said grinning.

"Not going to happen," she responded with her own grin. Akatsuki couldn't understand Ichigo Kurosaki at all, she considered trying to get close to him again but decided against it.

"Oh and think of a name OK?"

"Why, is Akatsuki not good enough?" she said with slight annoyance.

"It makes things easier," he said evenly, "And if people are after you, maybe your own name isn't a good idea if you think about it. Especially if you don't remember who's after you."

"Why?" she said in a gentle voice, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Do I need a reason?" Ichigo said back to her.

Akatsuki closed her golden eyes and smiled back. _'Who are you really, Kurosaki Ichigo?'_

-----------------------------------------------------

"Amnesia eh?" Isshin said in between mouthfuls of his breakfast. Ichigo sighed at his fathers lack of manners. "Makes sense I guess, you were pretty badly beaten up when I found you." Isshin carried on in great detail about his so-called heroic rescue of Akatsuki.

Akatsuki smiled back at Isshin, or at least what she hoped was a smile. There was no way this was going to work, no matter how gullible Ichigo said his father was. "Um yes sir," she answered, while trying to maintain her smile. Isshin looked at her thoughtfully and Akatsuki took the time to take a good look at the man who had saved her life. In most ways he didn't look anything like his son but in others he did, all in all Akatsuki thought he looked quite handsome. What puzzled Akatsuki was that if this was the man that had saved her, then he knew a lot about about spirits at the very least. And if he had indeed been the one who had treated her the other night, why was Ichigo insisting that she not mention anything about Shinigami or Hollows. '_Perhaps the son and father are ignorant of each other?' _Akatsuki stared back intently at Isshin trying to work it out. Akatsuki realized that Isshin must have been the one to put her into the gigai after treating her. So did that mean Ichigo thought she had been found in the gigai to start with? Isshin had noticed her stare and had mistaken it for genuine interest in what he was saying.

"Well if that's the case we should call the police and let them know, they'll probably know how to find out who she is and where her family are," Karin interrupted her father.

'_Could you not refer to me as 'her' when I'm sitting next to you?_' Akatsuki thought to herself.

"Aw you must have been so scared!" Yuzu said as she jumped onto Akatsuki's back to give her a cuddle, causing Akatsuki to wince in pain as Yuzu made contact.

"No no its fine, there's no need to cause trouble on my account," Akatsuki replied waving her left hand up and down, trying to ignore to the best of her ability Yuzu's cuddling.

"Well if you say so miss," said Karin, her look turning to one of disinterest.

"Well your welcome to stay here as long as you need to!" Isshin said cheerfully, "Make yourself right at home!"

-----------------------------------------------------

"That," Ichigo said, "Was close."

"It wasn't a problem," Akatsuki said back, she was trying to balance on a wall while walking along and kept wobbling. She jumped in front of Ichigo and threw her thumb up in triumph, "I did great!"

_'What are you congratulating yourself for?!' _Ichigo thought. "Why are you in such a great mood anyway?"

Akatsuki smiled and wagged her finger at him as if the answer were obvious, "Do I need a reason?"

"Heh I guess not," Ichigo replied, he watched as Akatsuki started marching off again, '_She doesn't know where we're going, why is she leading?!' _Ichigo wanted to take her to see Urahara, if anyone could help him get rid of this pest it would be him. He sighed at the memory of just getting Akatsuki out of bed. When she finally left the gigai Ichigo had had his first proper look at the real Akatsuki in the light of day.

She was shorter then him by at least a head and her features were younger then his, though she looked older then his sisters. Her long hair was a pale red which when left untied almost reached down to her knees. He noticed that she took great care of her hair, it was well groomed and straight with chin length side-locks and a frontal fringe. In fact not a single hair was out of place. Her skin was so pale that it was almost white but not in a sickly way, the contrast with her pale red hair gave her an alomost ghostly appearance. Akatsuki wore a white kimono and a pair of white hakama with a black obi tied around her waist. Overall the outfit looked slightly similar to Rukia's and the outfit worn by most female Shinigami. Around her neck she wore a large red silk scarf, Ichigo assumed to hide her broken mask which ran around her neck like a thick collar. He had wondered where her Hollow hole was but had thought better of asking, he imagined her taking the question the wrong way and slapping him.

Curiosity got the better of him and he asked about her clothes. "Whats up with the get up anyway? You look like a shinigami but dressed in white."

"This?" Akatsuki said as she looked back at him as she walked on ahead, "I found it and thought it looked cuter then my other clothes. But I hate black so I dyed it white."

Ichigo stared back at her, _'So there was no practical reason at all?' _he thought sarcastically. "Found where exactly?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"On a shinigami." Akatsuki responded matter of fact style.

"I'm doubting she gave it too you willingly," Ichigo said, probing for answers.

"Well, she may have done but since I hit her on the head and undressed her we'll never know will we," Akatsuki answered with a evil grin.

Ichigo felt his stomach sink slightly, _'A female shinigami, she mugged a female shinigami!' _"Er did this shinigami you hit have black shoulder length hair?" He really hoped it wasn't Rukia she had hit on the head, though he very much doubted Akatsuki could sneak up on Rukia. Still, that would be a awkward meeting either way. It would be best if he kept Akatsuki away from as many of his friends as possible before she healed up and left he decided.

"I dunno, I was busy stealing her clothes," Akatsuki replied innocently with a contented grin on her face.

_'Don't sound so innocent about it, you stole someones clothes idiot!' _Ichigo thought with a exasperated expression on his face. "We'll be there soon, Urahara will know what to do with you. Maybe I can get him to adopt you or something."

"Urahara?" Akatsuki asked curiously.

"Yeah he's this really annoying and happy go lucky guy but he's really clever and devious," Ichigo said. He had the greatest respect for Urahara but couldn't deny that what he said was true but he decided to leave his eccentric nature for Akatsuki to discover for herself.

Akatsuki stopped and let him catch up, remaining still until he was beside her, "What is he?" she asked, a slight hint of distrust in her voice, "A shinigami like you? Or a shinigami like them?"

"A shinigami like me?" Ichigo repeated her words, not sure what she was getting at. He was about to ask her when she cut off his train of thought.

"It doesn't matter I guess, I made you a promise after all and I won't break it," she grinned at him. "My honor demands as such, I'll leave as soon as I can, don't worry about it," she added on.

Satisfied with what she had said Ichigo didn't add anything else, though he wondered about her sudden change in personally.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Have you found her yet?" Aizen asked in his soft but forceful voice, a fake smile on his face, the question full of unspoken malice.

"Not yet, she is harder to find then we assumed she would be," Gin replied, he was completely unafraid of Aizen and of the implied threat in his voice. "Indeed it seems you did too good a job on her after all. Shame you didn't take her free will from her at the start," Gin's evil grin spread across his face and he ran his fingers through his hair.

"No, she is of no use to me if she is a mindless doll, she will serve me and of her own free will," Aizen replied, leaning back into his throne he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He smiled at the thought of her escape from Hueco Mundo, from Las Noches itself. He didn't know she had had that much will power left in her after all she'd been through and it peaked his curiosity. What did she hope to accomplish by such a small thing like this.

"Well I don't mind if you don't want us to drag her back here by her hair, though I am curious then as to why you want to know where she is, if you don't want her back then why all the fuss?" Gin asked, his grin revealing nothing about what he was thinking.

"Oh by means, drag her back here Gin, just don't damage her too much," Aizen smiled at Gin, "She is unique and she belongs to me. That's all that needs to be said." Aizen smiled to himself and closed his eyes. Akatsuki belonged to him and he wanted her back.

That meant the conversation was over and Gin left the grand chamber where Aizen sat seated in his throne and stalked down the hallways, his grin never leaving his face. After a few moments he stopped in the middle of the hallway, though his eyes never opened he knew who was there.

"My my whats with all the sneaking around dear?" Gin said outloud in his oily voice.

Phasing into the visible spectrum Otono knelt in front of Gin, her voice steady and respectful. "We found some of her blood, however, we found no body." Otono didn't dare to look into Gin's eyes, she feared him enough as it was and despite her calm voice she was extremely anxious in his presence. No one would talk about what had happened to her predecessor and she had no intention of finding out first hand.

"Well then Otono dear, I suggest you get back out there and bring her back to us, the poor girl must be so lonely by herself." Gin replied, malice in his words. Otono was one of the many Arrancar who served Gin in Las Noches. Dressed in the standard female Arrancar outfit with long blond hair and a Zanpakuto sheathed at her side Gin saw her as nothing special. But she did have her uses.

"And if she resists Lord Ichimaru?" Otono asked, her meaning obvious to Gin.

"My dear, you'll just have to defend yourself. Just don't kill her will you."


	3. Appearances

**Twilight Marionette:** Chapter three, see I told you i could do it!

**Twilight Puppeteer:** Who the hell are you talking too?

**Twilight Marionette:** You?

**Twilight Puppeteer:** I'm going home.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of its idea's and characters.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 3: Appearances**

"Its a pawn shop?" Akatsuki said bemused, "Why are we at a pawn shop?"

"Not quite, as I said though there's some people here who might be helpful in dealing with this annoying situation," Ichigo said.

Taking some mild offense Akatsuki turned around and walked away. "I'm going back to your house now. Goodbye."

"Wait wait wait!" Ichigo said as he rushed behind her and turned her around so she was facing the shop again. "I'm serious, these guys know more about your kind then I do after all."

Akatsuki looked at the shop, at least she assumed it was a shop, though the term "shabby hut" also ran through her mind. She reached out with her senses, back in spiritual form and away from the gigai's restrictions she could sense further, though not by much. Her reiatsu had not started returning properly and she couldn't afford to waste any of on such a simple thing. Inside she could feel two life forms, though their essence was hard to determine. Akatsuki felt that the building itself was also trying to limit her senses as well, as if some mechanism deep inside was blocking her out. "So this is where you've been dragging me to all morning?" she said unimpressed.

"Well we would have been here sooner if I didn't have to carry you!" Ichigo pointed out.

"Its not like I planned to fall off the wall and reopen my wounds!" Akatsuki snapped back at him.

"What kind of an Arrancar hurts herself falling off a two foot high wall?!" Ichigo shouted back.

"You saying I'm clumsy?" she replied, her eyes narrowing.

"You fell off a two foot high wall!" Ichigo snapped back. Akatsuki looked away and Ichigo grinned in triumph. "Lets go inside."

"Well we might as well after coming all this way," Akatsuki responded.

Akatsuki and Ichigo approached the entrance to the store but suddenly Akatsuki stopped, her body tense, she quickly looked around the area. There was no doubt about it, something was targeting her. She reached up to her shoulder and she remembered her sword wasn't with her. Isshin and Ichigo, if indeed they had taken it, hadn't given it back to her yet. She couldn't move very well in her injured state either and her wounds would rip open if she tried to fight back. Akatsuki glanced to the side at Ichigo who had also felt the threat. Akatsuki's attention lingered on him far too long and she was too late to react.

Ichigo felt a slight change and jumped for Akatsuki and grabbed her, throwing both him and her out of the way of the sudden explosion of earth where Akatsuki had been standing. Ichigo was fast onto his feet but was not going to attack, he knew what had attacked them. Dust swirled and clogged the air.

"Damn it! Ururu!" Ichigo shouted at the dust cloud, "I know you can sense a Hollow but shes not a threat, just calm down!" No answer came from the dust cloud as it slowly started to settle and Ichigo suddenly became aware that he alone had rolled to the floor, Akatsuki wasn't with him. _'Damn it!'_ he thought '_Wasn't I quick enough? No, I'm sure I grabbed her.'_His eyes focused on the swirling dust and was able to make out the shape of two silhouettes entwined with each other in the cloud of debris. "Akatsuki? Ururu?!" he shouted.

Ururu had been slightly too slow she realized, Ichigo had pushed the Hollow away just before her fist made contact with her. Though why he had done that she didn't know. Then before she could attack again the hollow girl had used sonido to move behind her much too fast. The hollow girls palm gripped the back of her head and she felt immense negative energy build up almost immediately. However, nothing happened, or rather the hollow girl didn't release the Cero blast. Unable to resist, Ururu stood helplessly, not knowing what to do.

The scene revealed itself to Ichigo as the dust cleared. Akatsuki was stood perfectly still behind Ururu, her left arm reaching down and holding the back of Ururu's head, reddish black light glowing in the slight space between. Just as he thought about attacking Akatsuki he realized that Akatsuki wasn't going to kill her. If she had wanted to kill Ururu she would have released the cero blast already. He sighed with relief but the situation was still bad. Ururu by know was looking very disturbed and Akatsuki he realized was bleeding a lot from her head and arms, her wounds ripped open as she used sonido and her calm expression seemed insincere. It was obvious to Ichigo that she was in a lot of pain. "Akatsuki?! Akatsuki listen to me, OK? Let that girl go, don't make me your enemy!" Ichigo said, his voice perfectly calm.

Akatsuki turned her head slightly to face him, "If I let her go, she's going to try to kill me, I can feel it," Akatsuki's words were neither angry nor fear filled, they were spoken with a level voice which Ichigo realized was her true personality, she was completely calm and in control of herself, despite her great pain. Completely different from before.

"No shes not, are you Ururu?" Ichigo said, motioning towards Akatsuki, Ururu looked confused at what Ichigo was saying and he carried on, "The girl behind you, her name is Akatsuki and yes she is an Arrancar, but don't be afraid Ururu. She came here because she wants help, she doesn't want to fight any of you. Please, if you don't attack her she won't hurt you."

"Shes not an enemy?" Ururu replied with a confused tone.

The idea that Akatsuki wasn't a threat wasn't sitting well with Ururu but Ichigo saw her relax ever so slightly. Ichigo looked back at Akatsuki and realized he had to hurry, she looked very faint and her expression strained through pain. Though her eyes, they were perfectly calm and focused. He walked up to them both and gently took Akatsuki's wrist, gently stroking her hand he then weaved his fingers into hers and curled her fingers into a ball, the cero energy dissipating as he did so. He then slipped his other arm around her and pulled her body into his. Expecting Akatsuki to freak out, he was surprised to see that she was asleep in his arms. Her reiatsu was very low now, she must of used what little she had left and had fainted.

"Ururu?" Ichigo said softly.

"Yes Ichigo?" Ururu replied.

"Go get Urahara OK? Tell him theres a cute injured girl up here that needs his help, that will speed him up," Ichigo said with a grin and he watched Ururu run off into the depths of the shop to find Urahara.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Akatsuki drifted in and out of consciousness. "_Oh I see what you mean Ururu, she is a cute injured hollow girl,"_who was that Akatsuki wondered, he sounded a bit strange. "_She's not a dangerous Urahara, its just that Ururu attacked her first,"_was that Ichigo's voice? "_Yes yes don't worry about it, no harm done eh?"_the strange voice replied. Akatsuki was vaguely aware of being carried by someone with strong powerful arms and though her eyes couldn't open she felt the sunlight fade from her skin. They were taking her inside? The voices had faded now, becoming faint ripples in her mind and she felt at ease as she fell fully unconscious.

_Akatsuki looked down at the lonely figure slouched against the half built wall, the rain forming rivers of tears from those judging, unblinking eyes. Why? Why did this dead girl judge her so harshly? And why did she feel so angry and helpless, unable to move or look away. Akatsuki walked closer and knelt down in front of the dead girl, reaching forward, her hand shaking she gently tried to brush away the hair from the girls face, but despite her efforts the darkness across the girls face never lifted, hidden in shadow. Still the eyes glared at her, unable to look away she found herself compelled to run but her legs, her heart failed her. And the dead girl jumped at her._

"How are you feeling Miss Akatsuki?" said a firm masculine voice.

"Ugh," moaned Akatsuki as she forced her eyes open, what met gaze made her eyes fully open in shock. There was a mans face, a face with a large mustache starring back down at her. Judging by how close his face was and the realization that there was something heavy was on top of her body there was only one explanation. This guy was on top of her.

"I'm glad to see that you are awake Miss Akatsuki," the very large man said, seemingly oblivious to what he was doing.

"Indeed," Akatsuki said, trying to maintain a calm voice.

"Yes indeed," he responded.

"Why are you on top of me?" Akatsuki said back, her face still blank and expressionless, inside she wasn't so calm.

"I'm helping to heal your wounds," Tessai answered.

"Really?" Akatsuki responded, her face showed anger building up under the surface and she squinted evilly at him.

"Of course Miss."

"Why?"

"It makes it much easier to transfer my strength into your body." Tessai responded. He could see her expression change to that of growing annoyance so he decided to put her at ease. Compliments put ladies at ease he remembered, that was the best course of action. "Your skin is very nice."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Urahara sipped some tea as he talked to Ichigo across the kotatsu, the situation arousing his curiosity. Ichigo related to him all that had happened up to the point where Ururu had come rushing down into the training grounds to find Urahara. "A very interesting situation indeed, so what do you wish of me Kurosaki?"

"I mainly brought her here so you could treat her wounds, since you guys can do that a lot better then me," Ichigo said.

"Interesting interesting," Urahara considered before slapping his hands together theatrically, "but I doubt that its possible, you see, for an Arrancar, opening a gate to and from Hueco Mundo should be very easy, it doesn't even require much energy at all. It should be almost, very, instinctual. Ya know?" he said smiling.

"What are you getting at?" Ichigo replied.

"If she cant open the way 'home', then its very likely that something is putting a lot of effort into stopping her. Or she doesn't want to return in the first place." Urahara explained. "As a matter of interest Ichigo, did you take her Zanpakuto from her?"

"Nah, my old man found her injured and bleeding in a gigai," Ichigo replied then thought about it, "It was probaly lost way before then or I'm sure my dad would have mentioned finding a sword with her."

Urahara said nothing at first and merely grinned, his eyes narrowing in thought. _'So Isshin-san found her did he, strange that he didn't bring her here straight away. Assuming she would of made it here. He's probably got the hollow girl's Zanpakuto sealed away as well just in case things turned nasty.' _One of the first things both he and Tessai had noticed when they undressed Akatsuki and examined her reopened wounds was that her injuries had been inflicted by at least three different types of weapon, it wasn't just the way her body had been injured but the reiatsu left behind in the wounds themselves. The wound to her arm had been inflicted by some kind of spear and the reiatsu was clearly that of a shinigami of some power. The other wounds on her body had been inflicted by some type of claw weapon and something blunt but heavy. It was obvious to Urahara that Akatsuki had been attacked twice, not once that night and by two completely different groups of people. "And you say she doesn't remember who attacked her? Amnesia was it?" he asked Ichigo.

Ichigo scratched his head in confusing, "That's what I told you she said, shesh pay attention man," he responded. "You think Akatsuki is lying about what happened to her?" _'Maybe I'm being too naive, should I really take her word for it?' _he thought to himself. Ichigo was about to continue when they both suddenly heard shouting from the other room, Akatsuki's voice was unmistakable and it sounded angry,

**"Get your hands off me! You pervert!!!"** followed by the sound of what could be accurately described as a large man being thrown through a door.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm very very sorry!" Akatsuki blurted out for the third time in succession, her head bowed very low to the ground, her face red from embarrassment. She had overreacted and had made herself look childish.

"Oh its OK," Urahara said pointing his cane at Tessai, "He'll get over it, besides I hear he was touching something he wasn't supposed to!" Urahara grinned with amusement and watched Tessai squirm under his gaze.

"I was not to know the young Miss would take offense at my touching of her cheek," Tessai said, his face blushed red, aware that he had maybe touched something he shouldn't. "My apologies young Miss."

Akatsuki waved her good hand up and down at him, her face a mix of embarrassment and relief, "No that's OK Mr Tessai! My apologies for overreacting. It's just that I thought you were trying to do," then after a pause, "Something else. Thank you for healing me." Akatsuki mumbled the last part. If she kept being helped by shinigami she'd have no pride left.

"And thank you for not taking our precious little Ururu from us," Urahara said wryly, noticing her head poking from behind a doorway, "Be a dear and clean up the mess Tessai made please!"

"Um I'm very sorry Ururu-chan," Akatsuki offered to the girl hiding behind the door frame.

Ururu mumbled something about hollows and disappeared into the other room.

"Oh," Akatsuki said, faking a look of guilt.

Ichigo watched in fascination at how quickly her mood and attitude changed. One minute she was acting almost like a kid, then the next moment respectful and polite.

"What a strange personality you have, Akatsuki-chan was it?" Urahara said offering her some tea, which she politely refused. He watched her expression very closely.

"There is nothing wrong with my personality!" she said waving her arms in the air. Then self control reasserted itself and she blushed slightly before looking away. "At least I'm not creepy looking."

Ichigo laughed and Urahara was quick to defend himself, "You think I look creepy? An Arrancar thinks I look creepy?"

"You are creepy!"

"Well whatever you say, I'm not the one who looks like ghost," Urahara said, coughing for effect. "We've treated your injuries as best we can. The rest is up to you Akatsuki-chan. You'll need to stay out of trouble and rest up. Stay in your gigai as much as possible." Urahara looked her outfit up and down and made a suggestion, "You'll need to change clothes while your here as well, as much as you like your 'Borrowed' clothes your going to stand out to any Shinigami you meet dressed all in white."

"She's a bit too tall to borrow any of my sisters clothes but i think i can find something," Ichigo offered, he agreed that dressed as she was right now was only going to attract trouble. He glanced over to Akatsuki who seemed to supressing a grin and he wondered what the private joke was.

"I understand Mr Urahara, I'm sorry I caused you all this trouble for nothing. Thank you for your time." Akatsuki said as she stood up, her freshly bound wounds stung but she ignored it. Ichigo jumped to his feet as well and lead the way out of the shop. Akatsuki turned to Urahara once she knew Ichigo was out of earshot. Urahara noticed her expression become serious, instantly displacing her childlike attitude. She glanced at his wooden cane, a small smile of her lips saying to Urahara in not so many words that she knew it was a concealed weapon.

"Don't worry about it. I gave him my word Shinigami and I wont break it. Even I have my pride." Akatsuki said in a serious tone. "I will keep my word, once the last of my more serious injuries have fully healed I'll leave." Akatsuki nodded her head to him and followed the way Ichigo had gone, making her way out of the shop and into the open space beyond.

"Very interesting indeed," Urahara mused as he watched her leave the shop. "I wonder who's side she's on though."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo and Akatsuki walked in silence until they were almost back to the clinic. Over the course of the journey Akatsuki had fallen behind Ichigo until she was nearly ten steps behind him. She was silently trying to distance herself from him, she hated the feeling of being indebted to him and his father. Akatsuki sighed in depression at her situation. Suddenly Ichigo stopped and waited until Akatsuki had drawn level with him, his eyes meeting hers.

"Sorry if this sounds harsh but I feel I need to know, would you have really killed Ururu if I hadn't of stopped you?" Ichigo asked.

"What?" Akatsuki said, taken slightly aback by the question, _'So this is what he's been thinking about till now?'_ she thought. "Is it important to you?"

"Yes," he replied lightly, "Because if you had, I would of killed you."

"I see." Akatsuki replied, her tone serious.

"So?"

"Probably not," Akatsuki replied guardedly, knowing her answers were going to be used against her. "If you want rid of me, you don't need a reason I'm sure Shinigami, so just get to the point." Her words harsh despite her precarious position.

"Huh?!" Ichigo said, suddenly jarred by the accusation. However before he answered back he realized what it must of sounded like from her position. Injured, alone and even her weapon had been taken from her by someone, it was only natural she was being defensive. "That isn't what I meant, I meant did you not fire that cero because your existence depended on it, or because you really had no intention of killing her?"

Akatsuki's face remained impassive at the question, though inside she was unsure why Ichigo needed to know. It serves no purpose to him she thought to herself, _'I don't understand'_. "Irrelevant, surely what matters most are my actions, not my intentions?"

Neither one of them said anything more about it, Akatsuki broke eye contact and turned her head slightly so she was looking away from Ichigo and towards the floor. Ichigo knew that he had been harsh but he couldn't let his guard down so easily. They carried on walking in silence a little longer, Ichigo walking on ahead and once again Akatsuki ten steps behind him, her head bowed slightly in an almost servile manner.

"I don't," Akatsuki mumbled quietly, "I don't kill people for no reason. I'm not like that."

Though he pretended not to hear, Ichigo smilied.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ikkaku Madarame groaned in pain as he sat up, his head felt like someone had split it open. He cursed out loud and slammed his hand down on the floor. It had been days since they found him bleeding and unconscious in the real world and he was itching to get back out there and take his revenge. Not that he hadn't had fun, on the contrary that fight had been thrilling to the core, his opponent had fought so cleverly, despite her lack of power and injuries. And her weapon, he'd never seen one quite like that used in combat before and wanted another taste. What he was cursing was that he had failed his mission in every way possible, not only had he failed to capture the Arrancar but had probably killed it through the injuries he inflicted on her. Not that his captain cared, so at least he wouldn't be punished. But if the Arrancar had survived he was going to be the one to catch her. Ikkaku wouldn't be beaten by her twice.


	4. A unwanted visitor

**Twilight Puppeteer:**Ive no idea where the Twilight Marionette is hiding, she mumbled something about stealing cookies and disapeered. Anyway she left this lying around and ordered me to post it. So umm here it is. *blushes*

**Twilight Marionette:** Clap clap clap, you did great.

**Twilight Puppeteer:** You were here the whole time? Damn you! What kind of person says clap clap clap anyway?

**Twilight Marionette:** Silence!

**Disclaimer: I dont own Bleach of any of its characters or stories, I just twist them around to fit my evil needs.**

**Chapter 4: An unwanted visitor**

"Akatsuki-chan!" Isshin roared as he leaped towards Akatsuki as she left her room, still dressed in the pajama's Karin had found for her. Akatsuki saw him at the last second and moved more on instinct then aggression and front kicked him in the chest. Akatsuki watched puzzled as Isshin rolled halfway down the corridor before he jumped back to his feet and came running at her again.

"Akatsuki-chan!" he beamed as he launched at her again in a energetic leap.

Akatsuki didn't react fast enough this time, not quite expecting him to charge her again and was swept up into a bear hug by Isshin. "Ahhhhh what are you doing Mr Kurosaki?!" Akatsuki half shouted at Isshin as he span her around and around.

Isshin looked into her eyes with a look of victory as if he'd just won some battle, his arms wrapped tightly around her lower back. "Good to see your feeling much better eh?" he grinned at her, his gaze locking eyes with her own.

Even though he was a human and she was an Arrancar the intimacy of their positions made her blush slightly and look away. Isshin was exactly as Ichigo had described him to her and she wasn't sure what to make of him. "I'm not one of your children, please put me down!" she said waving her arms about and hitting him.

"Make me!" he said grinning back.

Akatsuki grinned evilly.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"She hurt me Karin-chan!" Isshin wailed at his daughter, holding his arm out dramatically for aid as he slumped on the floor, "Your poor father is dying!"

Karin ignored his dramatics and walked past him, "You cant just go and grab hold of girls like that dumb ass! Of course she was going to hit you!"

Akatsuki was knelt behind Isshin, gently wrapping a bandage around his head as his body rested against hers. He winced in discomfort as she tightened the wrappings with expert precision.

Karin grinned at the sight, "You shouldn't give him this much attention, you'll only make him worse," she said grinning at them both. Karin walked up to her father and knelt in front of him. Reaching her hands forward she took the ends of the bandage from Akatsuki's fingers and tied them off. "Your pretty good at this. Are you trained?"

"Oh, well, its just something I picked up I guess," Akatsuki replied modestly, returning Karin's smile.

"My own daughter is so cold! At least Akatsuki cares about me!" Isshin wailed dramatically, throwing himself onto Akatsuki in another playful attempt at a hug.

Karin laughed as Akatsuki screamed and tried to force Isshin off of her, causing them both to fall over. "I'll leave you two love birds alone," she said grinning and walked down the corridor. Just as she approached the stairs she heard the wail of a grown man in pain and the sound of a angry girl stomping away and slamming the door to her room. She couldn't help but laugh.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Isshin grinned to himself, then winced as he stood up. Once he was satisfied that he had scared Akatsuki off he retreated to his bedroom, once inside he locked the door behind him and ran his hand across the wall until he found what he was looking for. With a loud clunk part of the wall came away into his hands and he carefully placed the hidden panel onto the floor, he reached inside the cavity in the wall into the space beyond and removed a long object wrapped in cloth. The protective seals placed in this hiding place were designed to block everyone but him from reaching inside and he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that the cloth had not been disturbed. He laid the cloth bound object on his bed and gently untied the string that was binding the cloth around it.

Isshin Kurosaki didn't like this sword, Akatsuki's Zanpakuto, he had taken it from Akatsuki and hidden it from her after he had first treated her. He knew he should give it back soon, Akatsuki seemed very unlikely to use it hurt his family in any way but it gave off a aura that made him think twice every time he looked at it. He felt as if he wasn't alone in the room, as if someone was standing behind him, watching him and mocking him. He picked up the sword and unsheathed it. The blade itself was quite beautiful he decided, its form and sharpness almost perfectly formed, its length nearly two feet longer then a normal Shinigami Katana. The hilt and sheath were just as lovingly formed, the black of the hilt and sheath were like the night sky against the moon that was the reflection of the blade. He re sheathed the katana and placed it back into the hidden compartment. He didn't think it being hidden here would stop Akatsuki from finding it if she truly needed to take it back, he could tell Akatsuki was much cleverer then she acted around his family. In truth he hid it so that he didn't feel like the sword was staring back at him. His guess wasn't far from the truth.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The park was quiet early in the morning and Akatsuki had found herself coming here for the last week, she liked the smell of the trees and grass and it was very relaxing. She subconsciously checked the area for spiritual beings and was happy to find the park empty. The few people around paid her little attention. Just as the tension from last nights nightmare was evaporating from her she suddenly felt tense, then she sighed as she heard the voice she was half expecting.

"Hey! Akatsuki!" Ichigo called from behind her.

"Kurosaki?" Akatsuki replied, slightly confused as to why Ichigo had followed her, for the last few days she had been going for walks in her gigai since she needed the fresh air and partly because it was 'Doctors Orders' from Isshin. Ichigo had for the most part ignored her presence in his house in the last four days, it was almost like he didn't care anymore. Akatsuki wasn't quite sure if she was supposed to be flattered or insulted by his indifference.

"Hey," Ichigo said again once he had caught up and was stood in front of her, he was wearing his school uniform even though he was skipping today. "What're up to?" Ichigo noted that Akasuki was also wearing a uniform but noy from any school around this town, he assumed that these were some of the clothes Urahara had provided her with. That was one reliable thing about Urahara, he always had something you needed. Her uniform was a white shirt with a burgandy coat and a red school skirt.

Akatsuki's eyes narrowed and she smiled sarcastically, "It's called walking."

"I know that idiot! I meant where are you walking to?" Ichigo snapped back. He couldn't help but wonder why she was in such a uncooperative mood, well she wasn't very easy to talk to anyway but today she seemed very, sarcastic.

With the same look on her face she pointed to her side, "Over there."

Restraining a stressed vein he tried his best to smile back at her, "And what's so important over there?"

"A tree."

--------------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo and Akatsuki sat next to each other on one of the higher branches of the tree overlooking the park, it was a nice view that offered a good view of the park and some of the town. At first Ichigo had wondered what was so important about the tree and had speculated in his head about why Akatsuki was so interested in it. He laughed a little to himself when he realized that all she wanted to do was to climb it. Akatsuki was pretty clumsy in her gigai and kept slipping as she climbed up the tree, Ichigo couldn't help but laugh as he climbed up after her and he earned himself a boot in the face. Akatsuki had said it was an accident in her sarcastic voice, her expression equally sarcastic but happy with the result. After a few minutes of Ichigo ranting at her and Akatsuki pulling faces in return and half heartedly pleading her innocence Ichigo realized that he had gained a small audience of passersby who watched in fascination. Ichigo had panicked and Akatsuki laughed haughtily, her expression almost happy. Ichigo had climbed the tree after that and Akatsuki silently moved up along the branch as he motioned to sit with her. They sat in silence for a long time, just watching people pass by before Ichigo finally broke the silence.

"You like being in high places?" he asked without turning to look at her.

Akatsuki didn't answer straight away, she wasn't completely comfortable with casually talking to a shinigami still and was still considering her answers. "Not really," she replied in her disinterested voice.

"Then why here?"

"I like the feeling of the breeze and the noise the leafs make," she replied, her head tilting upwards with a smile on her face as if some pleasant thought had entered her mind.

"Are your injuries nearly healed?" Ichigo asked.

"Indeed," Akatsuki replied, "But I'm not healing very fast. It would be much faster if I had someone to feed on." She slowly turned her head to face him, a evil grin on her face.

"Hell no! Don't even think about it, your not going all vampire on me!" Ichigo shouted back at her crossing his arms in front of him defensively.

Akatsuki couldn't help it and started to laugh uncontrollably at Ichigo.

Ichigo watched in mild amusement, though they weren't friends he had to admit he preferred her when she was acting like this, if the situation were different they might be friends. He was about to start poking fun at Akatsuki when he felt a weak surge of reiatsu pulsating from the open ground far in front of them. His eyes immediately found the source, a female Arrancar dressed in the usual white uniform that they wore with long blond hair blowing behind her. She was levitating her sword under her hand as she held her left arm out. Another weak pulse spread in all directions from the Zanpakuto. "What the hell?" he said leaping out of the tree and standing ready to fight, he reached inside his bag and pulled out the seal which separated his human body from his shinigami form and slammed it against his chest. He carefully placed his body upright against the tree and looked up to Akatsuki, noticing that she too had felt the pulses and was looking at the female Arrancar but he was surprised to see no relief that a ally was nearby. Her expression was very uninterested.

"Aren't you going over to her, it seems like she's looking for something, maybe you!" Ichigo shouted up at her.

Akatsuki was still watching the female Arrancar with disinterest, she recognized her alright, her name was Otono and she was one of Gin's thralls. She considered going over to her but something at the back of her mind was screaming at her to stay away, to stay hidden. Though she still couldn't remember that night and what had happened to her, she wondered if her body did.

"Heh, so close but she still can't locate me, how sad," Akatsuki said with a smirk, "You should ignore her Ichigo, her senses are pathetic, unless you go running up to her she won't even notice us." Akatsuki looked down to find Ichigo wasn't even there and was already half way to Otono. "Don't ignore me Shinigami!" she shouted at his back.

Otono sent out another pulse from her Zanpakuto, the returning waves acted like radar and told her the kind of beings were in the area. Her senses were pretty weak and she had to do it this way, especially tracking someone like Akatsuki though she was having little luck. She had thought Akatsuki was here but now that she had arrived she found no trace of her. She was about to move on when one of her returning pulses told her a Shinigami was rapidly approaching. Otono instinctively threw her left arm in the direction the shinigami was running from, her levitating Zanpakuto spinning in that direction at high speed.

Ichigo saw the attack and easily knocked her blade aside as he drew Zangetsu from his back, sparks flew as the blades made contact and Otono's sword slammed blade first into the ground. Ichigo closed the gap and saw Otono pull her arm back towards her body. Ichigo heard the movement of air and spun around just before Otono's blade hit his back, bringing Zangetsu down on it again, this time it slammed to the ground but carried on past Ichigo and returned to the Arrancars hand.

Otono gently closed her fingers around the hilt and gripped her Zanpakuto tightly. She took up a defensive position with her sword in front of her horizontally across her body. _'Damn it, where did such a skilled shinigami suddenly come from?_' she cursed to herself, she was confident in her own skills but in the real world there would most likely be other shinigami minutes away. By now the shinigami was almost right at her and she charged him, sword held horizontally in front of her.

Ichigo easily parried her attacks, sparks flying as the blades struck against each other with enough force to break a normal sword. Otono feinted and came at his side but Ichigo blocked the attack again and with one sweeping motion pushed Otono flying back through the air, using Shunpo he was immediately above her and he swung his sword down at her body. Otono barely managed to block the attack and was forced down into the ground with a huge crash. The breath was forced from her lungs as her back slammed into the ground, for a few moments a searing white light replaced her vision as her head hit the floor. Otono closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable killing blow, but it didn't come. She opened her eyes slowly, the shinigami was standing over her, his huge sword resting on his shoulder.

"Why don't you kill me shinigami?! I don't want your pity!" she shouted at Ichigo as she forced herself onto her knees. "I won't be taken prisoner!"

"Shut up," Ichigo said with a fed-up look on his face, "You attacked me first dumb ass."

Otono reached her hand out to summon her blade but it did not return, then she realized the Shinigami was standing on it deliberately. She wasn't going to trust his words since they would just be lies. "Then what do you intend to do with me?"

"Get the hell out of here," Ichigo replied, annoyed with her bad attitude. He spun Zangetsu around re sheathed it on his back. Then another idea hit him, "Those pulses, you were looking for someone?" he asked.

Otono grimaced, so thats what had drawn the shinigami to her. "I'll tell you nothing."

Ichigo thought about asking about Akatsuki but then realized that Akatsuki would have followed him if she had any reason to talk to this Arrancar. _'In fact, she didn't even come to help her or stop me from attacking. '_Ichigo looked into the trees and saw Akatsuki staring at the scene with a apathetic expression. If Akatsuki hadn't reacted then either she didn't know this Arrancar or didn't intend to be seen by her. Without turning his head he said to Otono "I said get out of here. Go!" Ichigo started to walk away back towards the trees.

The shinigami turned around to look at something Otono could not see and he told her to leave, then he walked away from her, his foot coming away from her Zanpakuto. In one fluid motion she stretched out her fingers and the sword returned to her hand. Otono pushed herself to her feet, grinning manically she charged at Ichigo's back, her speed as fast as she could move. But it wasn't enough.

Ichigo sensed the attack and span his body around, in the same motion his blade cut diagonally down across her chest, blood flying from the wound. He watched as she dropped to her knees clutching at her chest, her sword still held tight in her hand. Her expression was one of pure hatred. She closed her eyes and started to fade from his vision, as she did Ichigo could no longer feel her aggression and knew she had fled. He ran over back to the tree where Akatsuki was still sitting up in the branches, she looked uninterested at what had just happened between Ichigo and Otono and it irked him. "Your not even going to say anything about what just happened are you?"

Akatsuki looked down at him and smirked, "Well, I'm just not sure who was slower, you or Otono-chan," she replied sarcastically. What she really wanted to say was 'Thank you for not killing Otono,' but found herself unable to say the words. For her, sarcasm was the best she could offer in thanks.

"I'm a lot faster then that when I want to be!" he bragged as he slipped back inside his body. Once he was back inside his living body he stood up and carried on, "At least I'm not clumsy enough to fall out of trees!"

Akatsuki's expression turned confused, "What're you talking about, I haven't fallen out of any trees," she replied. She regretted saying it but the words had already left her mouth. Before she could react Ichigo shot his arms up and she was sure she saw a sparkle of triumph in his eyes as he pulled her off the branch.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Her name is Otono-chan," Akatsuki said to break the silence between them. Since Ichigo had been so clever to pull her out of the tree Akatsuki had been faking a twisted ankle. They had been traveling back to Ichigo's home for some time now in silence when she felt the need to speak, it felt like Ichigo was ignoring her and besides, she had avoided an explanation earlier and thought Ichigo might be upset about it still. Of course carrying her for the last twenty minutes was probably getting to him as well.

Ichigo was curious he had to admit but he wasn't going to bring it up himself, he knew enough about people to know things were never so simple as to assume that two people should know each other or even be friends even though they were on the side. He knew the Arrancar were very similar to the Thirteen Protection squads in that way, they were allies but even so they didn't get along with each other very well. "So you did know her? That blond Arrancar?" he replied.

Akatsuki hummed affirmatively and replied in her soft voice, "Otono-chan. Yes I know her but we're not on friendly terms. We were friends once but that was a long time ago."

Ichigo detected a slight tone of melancholy in her voice and didn't press her to continue, if she wanted to tell him more he would listen but he wouldn't harass her for a better explanation. Even though Akatsuki was straddled on his back he was sure her face had a sad expression. "Whatever. But still, would it really have a been a problem revealing yourself to her, I mean I doubt she would refuse to help you return home would she?" Ichigo asked in a serious tone.

Akatsuki ignored the question and looked behind her, seeing nothing of great interest and instead of answering Ichigo started humming a song to herself, her hands gripped his shoulders ever so slightly harder without her realizing it.

Ichigo didn't say anything else for the next five minutes and they walked in relative silence. Ichigo found himself unable to pay attention to anything else but the song she was humming. He was sure he had heard it before somewhere but he couldn't hum along with her. It was relaxing though and he felt her sslowly relax on his back and he blushed as her body pressed againsthis back. To distract himself he asked Akatsuki about the song, "That song your humming away back there, whats it called?"

Akatsuki had nearly fallen asleep and the question jolted her to attention though her body didn't pull away from his back. She was aware that he was blushing and it amused her. "Its name? I don't think it has a name."

"Really? Its strange but I feel like I've heard it before somewhere." Ichigo replied with a nostalgic tone to his voice. He was sure he had heard it before somewhere but he wasn't able to place it. "Besides, don't all sings have names?"

Akatsuki smiled to herself, "I don't see why it would, its a song I made up Shinigami."

"Heh," Ichigo responded. He was about to ask her about the song when he realized he was drawing a fair amount of attention from the people around him. Then he blushed as he understood, carrying Akatsuki on his back and her humming a sweet song in his ear looked very intimate and people must of thought the same. Ichigo suddenly became very uncomfortable with the situation.

Akatsuki had picked up on the peoples reaction to the scene much faster then him and was aware that the situation had suddenly become awkward between them. She couldn't resist herself, "Maybe they think were lovers," she said softly but just loud enough so that the people around could hear. Akatsuki suddenly felt Ichigo's pace rapidly increase and was surprised at just how fast he could run carrying a girl on his back.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Rukia had been watching Ichigo since he had fought with the Arrancar earlier, staying far enough behind him so that she wasn't noticed by him but close enough to watch him. She had happened across the fight by chance after following the strange pulses of reiatsu and had arrived in time to watch Ichigo's opponent flee from the fight after being cut across her chest. She was going to approach him but he seemed distracted by something in the tree's and had moved with purpose back towards them. Rukia was being nosy and had followed him quietly. She was surprised to say the least when he had emerged from the tree line carrying a young women on his back. _'Probably one of his school friends,_' she thought to herself even though she wasn't wearing the same uniform as Ichigo, it was unmistakably a high school uniform. And she had such long pretty red hair trailing well below Ichigo's waist.

Rukia had followed the two around town, curious as to who this girl was, she seemed to be awfully close to Ichigo whatever the case and had sparked Rukia's interest since she thought she already knew all of Ichigo's friends. After a while Rukia had grown bored of spying and was thinking about catching Ichigo up when when the girl suddenly turned her head and looked directly at Rukia, her golden eyes locked with hers. There was no mistaking it, the girl wasn't looking past Rukia, or even at something near Rukia. She was looking Rukia straight in the eyes, then as suddenly as she had made eye contact the girl's head turned around again. Rukia froze, wondering why this person was able to see her and what she was doing with Ichigo. As she pondered this she ran to catch Ichigo up and she heard them talking about a song, as the girl started to hum the tune again Rukia felt reiatsu suddenly leak out from the girl and wash over her. _'This reiatsu, its feels so, strange,' _Rukia stopped again, the reiatsu was weak and subtle but it was definitely there, _'That's no human on Ichigo's back!'_

Rukia reached for her Zanpakuto but her hand froze around the hilt, she looked down at her hand and realized she didn't know who the girl was or what was going on. It was much too reckless to even think about attacking. But there was a easy way to find out who and what she was.

"Ichigo!" she called out but as she looked up she saw Ichigo was well out of earshot, running away as if in some sudden great hurry. "Ichigo get back here!" she shouted and ran after him.


	5. Rukia

_**Twilight Marionette: Da da dada daaaaaaaaa!**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: Why are you so happy?**_

_**Twilight Marionette: Because not only do people read it but they like it! Isn't that nice?**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: Well, I guess it is? Just try not to let it get to you, OK?**_

_**Twilight Marionette: Silence!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, its characters or ideas, merely my own insane interpretation.**_

_**Chapter Five: Rukia**_

Ichigo had run nearly all the way home but it was worth the tiredness, he wasn't sure what was up with the red headed annoyance but she had acted even stranger then normal. Even though the last 5 minutes couldn't have been very comfortable of his back he was sure that she had fallen half asleep.

"Hey! Akatsuki-chan! Wake up!" Ichigo said, twisting his head around to try and see her face. He was right, her head was resting on his shoulder and her eyes were barely open. He grinned and considered just letting go and letting her drop to the ground but he dropped the idea. It wasn't worth her sarcastic ranting. They turned the corner and went down Ichigo's street towards the clinic. He felt Akatsuki stir on his back.

"Damn it! Do you sleep every five minutes!?" he said to himself out loud. He heard Akatsuki stifle a yawn and she nuzzled her chin back onto his shoulder, making Ichigo blush slightly. _'Why is she being so affectionate?'_ he thought,_ 'Is it possible she's attracted to me?'_

"Hmmm?" Akatsuki mumbled, "No I'm not, don't get so full of yourself Shinigami." She rubbed her chin on his shoulder to get more comfortable, she was finding it so hard to stay awake even in the gigai. Akatsuki just wanted to snuggle up into her thick bed covers and sleep the day away. It was strange though, five minutes ago she had been wide awake but now she was finding it so hard just to stay conscious.

Ichigo grimaced,_ 'How the hell did she know what I was thinking? Damn it, I can't let her know her guess was right or I'll never hear the end of it,' _he thought. "What the hell are you talking about Akatsuki-chan? I didn't say anything," Ichigo stated. He heard a low groaning noise as if talking back were such a struggle for Akatsuki.

"Shut up, shut up," Akatsuki complained but with no force behind her voice, "Stop being so noisy!"

"I'm not being noisy! Your such a child you know that?" Ichigo said smiling.

"I'm older then you you know," Akatsuki pointed out, poking his cheek as she said it.

Ichigo hadn't actually thought about how old Akatsuki was, she looked and acted like she was only a year or two younger then he was but like shinigami her appearance didn't mean that much. She really was most likely older then he was he decided but she really didn't act like it. _'Is the way she acts the way the real Akatsuki would, or is she just acting like this to try and fit in with her appearance?' _Now that Ichigo thought about it he hadn't really learned anything about Akatsuki since they had made the deal a week ago, the thought of asking anything about her seemed invasive and she was unlikely to want to talk to him about herself anyway. He looked back across his shoulder again and saw that Akatsuki had fallen asleep once more, her head on his shoulder and her arms wrapped lightly around his chest.

"What are we going to do with you, your so helpless, Akatsuki," Ichigo said softly to her.

--------------------------------------------------------

Rukia had caught up with Ichigo after only a few streets but had kept her distance by moving from rooftop to rooftop to minimize the chance that she was seen again by the strange girl on Ichigo's back. She felt no malice from her and this was why Rukia had kept such a distance until now but if she was going to confront the girl she had to act now, before they were too close to Ichigo's house. Rukia didn't want to endanger them. She stopped just above them and looked down, her hand resting on the hilt of her Zanpakuto but not gripping it, as best she could tell the girl was half asleep on Ichigo's back and was talking too quietly for Rukia to hear. And Ichigo true to form hadn't noticed that Rukia had been following him this whole time, his own power making it hard for him to detect people who weren't releasing any reiatsu. _'Is it really possible that Ichigo didn't feel that reiatsu leaking out from her before?' _she thought, _'Maybe its all innocent and I'm just seeing things that aren't there, she might just be a spiritually aware human. Its not unreasonable that they would be drawn to each over if that's the case. But, I can't take any chances, if she is something other then human and Ichigo hasn't noticed he or his family might be in danger.' _Rukia tightened her grip on her Zanpakuto but decided to wait, she still wasn't sure if she had been mistaken and to act now would be rash. Her best course of action for now was to follow Ichigo home and arrange it so that she met this strange person alone, away from Ichigo and his family. Rukia vowed that she would protect Ichigo from whatever this girl was.

--------------------------------------------------------

Akatsuki forced her eyes open again she as they approached the front door of the clinic, she was so very tired and it had been a real effort monitoring the female shinigami that had been shadowing them all the way here. Ichigo hadn't been bothered by her either and so Akatsuki hadn't worried either. His unassuming confidence was infectious. "Do you know that girl?" she asked, keeping her voice neutral.

"Yeah," Ichigo responded. He had realized Rukia had been following them for quite a while now and he had been curious as to why she had been avoiding just coming up to him. Ichigo guessed that Rukia must have been suspicious of Akatsuki, he wasn't sure that he was ready for Rukia to meet Akatsuki and in truth had hoped that this situation could have been avoided altogether. All he could do was wait for Rukia to approach them but she had stayed back the whole time which only confirmed Ichigo's suspicion that Rukia was unsure of Akatsuki.

Not satisfied with that answer Akatsuki pressed Ichigo for more. "Is she a friend of yours? That Shinigami," Akatsuki asked softly. It wasn't that she was trying to sound soft, it was that she was so tired it was the best she could do. She half opened her eyes and turned her head slightly towards Ichigo. He smiled a little as she asked the question which confirned to her that they were friends.

"Yeah," he replied as he reached into his pocket for his key to the door. He knew no one was in today and so it wouldn't be a problem putting her back into her room and avoiding questions as to why she was being carried by him. Finding what he was looking for he inserted the key into the lock and twisted, a clink telling him the door was unlocked. "And her name isn't Shinigami, its Rukia."

"Rukia," Akatsuki repeated. She suspected that Ichigo intended for the two of them to meet and she wasn't sure how she felt about that, though she didn't like Ichigo much she had to admit to herself that it was hard not to trust him. He just seemed so confident and honest it was hard not to feel safe with just his word. But this Rukia was a different matter altogether, at worst she would attack her or report to her to the other Shinigami in Soul Society.

Ichigo pushed the door open and carried Akatsuki inside the clinic, shutting the door behind him and locking it. He couldn't sense Rukia nearby anymore and the tension he had been feeling evaporated. "Don't worry about Rukia, she won't judge you based on the fact that your an Arrancar either."

Akatsuki didn't reply at first and bit the side of her lip and made a decision, even though her choices were rather limited, that she would trust Ichigo's opinion of his friend. At least for now. "If you say so Shinigami." But if this Rukia turned on her, she was sure that Ichigo would side with his friend, it was only natural. _'But Ichigo, she doesn't know me as anything but an Arrancar, she has no other way judge me.'_

Ichigo carried Akatsuki upstairs, being very careful not to disturb her too much as he did so, he was aware that she was having trouble staying awake and did not relish the idea of her complaining loudly in his ear if he suddenly fully woke her up. He turned the handle and carried Akatsuki over to her bed and gently eased her onto the bedside chair while he made her bed properly, Akatsuki left such a mess when she woke up in the morning and Ichigo was fairly certain why. Both Karin and Yuzu had told Ichigo that Akatsuki had been having extremely restless nights, tossing and turning and making quiet crying noises in her sleep and that she always awoke suddenly as if from a nightmare. Yuzu, being the caring person that she was had stayed awake next to Akatsuki for the last few nights after she had fallen asleep early in the evening and had looked after her. Ichigo had been coming into Akatsuki's room and taking Yuzu back to her own room after she too had fallen asleep on the edge of the bed. He wondered with a smile if Akatsuki knew that his sister had been taking such good care of her over the last few days.

"There that's better," he said as he lifted Akatsuki onto the bed and laid her down, pulling the covers up over her chest but under her arms. She wasn't asleep and was following his movements with her half open eyes. _'She really doesn't seem to want to fall asleep.' _He walked over to the window and opened it, letting a breeze blow through the room, refreshing him after carrying her all the way here. He turned around and noticed Akatsuki was still watching him, her head turned on its side, a subtle evil smile on her face.

"Is Rukia your girlfriend?" she asked in a playful tone, her curiosity had gotten the better of her and had found herself unable to resist.

Ichigo blushed and rubbed his forehead, embarrassed by the question he turned his head away from Akatsuki's eyes. "Rukia, my girlfriend? No she isn't," he replied hurriedly.

Akatsuki let out a long winded hum, which much to her amusement agitated Ichigo even more, "But you would like her to be, wouldn't you?" she said, Ichigo was so cute when he was embarrassed. "Don't look so flustered about it, its written all over your face, you like her Shinigami," she said to Ichigo, her eyes closing as sleep finally overtook her.

Ichigo noticed that the last part was spoken in a different tone then before, rather then trying to annoy him the last part had been spoken in a very laid back and natural voice that made her sound very mature. He looked across at her at he saw something different about her, she had fallen asleep but that wasn't what had changed, he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

--------------------------------------------------------

Rukia sat by the rivers edge, kicking her feet into the air, her head arced upwards with her eyes closed. She felt a familiar presence and turned her head on its side to look at Ichigo. He was stood a few feet away dressed in his full Shinigami attire. Rukia noticed that his face had a seriousness to it even though he was grinning back at her. Rukia motioned for him to sit and Ichigo sat next to her. After a few moments of silence from Ichigo, Rukia spoke first, "That girl isn't human is she?" she asked in a questioning tone.

"No she isn't," Ichigo responded.

"Who, or what is she?" Rukia asked. She felt like Ichigo was trying to avoid answering the question and it concerned her._ 'What is he trying to hide?' _

Ichigo sighed and answered honestly, "She's an Arrancar." He was about to continue but Rukia interrupted him suddenly.

Rukia jumped to her feet and waved her arm out in front of her for emphasis, "A Arrancar?! What the hell are you thinking Ichigo?!" Rukia was confused and angry at the same time and she couldn't kept those feelings from leaking out into her words. "You're not?" she said but hesitated.

Ichigo looked up at her and stood up slowly, dusting himself off. "Calm down Rukia," he said in a calm voice, he was expecting this reaction from her and so her reaction hadn't shocked him.

"Calm down? How can I calm down, you have an Arrancar in your house and it doesn't even bother you?" Rukia stammered out. She knew that Ichigo hadn't switched sides but still she couldn't work out the situation.

Ichigo reached out and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Rukia, you have to trust me but she is not a threat to me or my family," he said in a confident tone.

The tone of his voice relaxed a few of Rukia's worries and she calmed herself down. "But what are you two doing together in the first place?"

"My Dad found her, bleeding to death in the street late at night a week ago and brought her back to our Clinic," Ichigo explained "We've been looking after her until she can safely leave or open a gate back home."

Rukia sighed and visibly relaxed, _'So that was it, she's his patient, no wonder they were together. That's just like Ichigo, he doesn't see two different sides in this war, he just See's the people involved.' _she thought."You trust her?" she asked, her expression demanding a serious answer.

Ichigo nodded and smiled back at her. "We made a deal on the first night she stayed at our Clinic, once her injuries are fully healed she will leave. She hasn't caused any trouble and she actually gets along quite well with my sisters." Ichigo laughed to himself, remembering that Yuzu had made Akatsuki her patient. "Yuzuseems to be very protective of her. She's weird but she isn't a bad person, even Urahara-san trusts her."

"I see," Rukia replied and smiled back at Ichigo, she didn't have Ichigo's confidence in the situation but trusted his judgment. She needed to meet this Arrancar and see for herself. "I want to meet her, alone, somebody has to be the sensible one here."

"I figured you'd want to," he said back to her grinning.

--------------------------------------------------------

_Akatsuki couldn't move, her body paralyzed by the fear and the pain that wrapped its way around her like vines. Her back rested against the wall and her body lay limp in front her. She felt like a doll waiting to be moved and posed. The dark skies poured with rain as they always did, a distant rumble of thunder echoed across the sky. As always the broken girl was here, Akatsuki's eyes were forced to look up at her, the shadow hidden face of the nameless girl who haunted her dreams as of late. This was different though, it was Akatsuki laying limp against the wall this time and the broken girl looking down at her and for some reason Akatsuki couldn't understand that scraed her more then anything._

_The rain plastered the girls long hair against her face but Akatsuki could see it, that evil smile and knew that those awful red eyes were mocking her, judging her. Her kimono was torn and ripped and covered in a blood that not even the rain was washing away. The girl slowly raised her arm and pointed to Akatsuki's stomach._

_Akatsuki was still paralyzed by a fear she couldn't fight or understand but found her eyes being forced to look down at her stomach. The fear intensified as she saw blood soaking its way through her white Kimono. She tried to scream but her voice remained silent, her cry for help never left her lips._

--------------------------------------------------------

Rukia sighed as she dabbed the wet towel onto Akatsuki's forehead, Akatsuki seemed to be having a nightmare as Ichigo had said she most likely would be. Ichigo had asked Yuzu to let Rukia take over tonight and had left the two of them alone. This was a bad idea and she knew it but it was her own fault for insisting to Ichigo that she met Akatsuki one on one, in hindsight she realized that Ichigo had probably planned it like this and was probably off laughing somewhere. She rinsed off the damp warm towel and rinsed it in the fresh water basin before reapplying it to Akatsuki's forehead. Rukia couldn't help but notice that Akatsuki's expression was one of pain and wondered what kind of awful dream she was having.

"I wonder what Renji would say if he saw me playing nurse like," she said to herself but shook her head to dispel the idea, Renji would just mock her playfully. She looked at Akatsuki and brushed her fingers through Akatsuki's pale red hair.

"Oh my," Rukia exclaimed as her fingers traveled through the long hair, "Her hair feels so soft and smooth, its almost like silk." Rukia brushed the back of her hand across Akatsuki's skin and found it to be just as soft and smooth though her face had a unhealthy whiteness to it. Rukia had to admit she was slightly jealous of the girl in the bed in front of her. Rukialaughed to herself at thinking such pointless thoughts, that wasn't why she was here after all. Akatsuki stirred and Rukia left the wet towel on her forehead.

Akatsuki opened her eyes slowly, the bright light hurting them and she wondered what time it was. She slowly turned her head and noticed that someone was sat by her bed. The girl spoke but Akatsuki didn't recognise the voice that was speaking to her.

"So your Akatsuki-chan?" Rukia asked, waiting until Akatsuki had forced herself to sit upright before continuing. "Ichigo trusts you so I'll trust you as well for now."

Akatsuki hadn't seen Rukia up close yet and looked her up and down, ignoring what Rukia had just said. Akatsuki could see why Ichigo had been so embarrassed, she was beautiful in a subtle way. She reached her left hand forward and tried to touch Rukia's cheek but Rukia pulled away at the last moment. _'Fair enough,'_she thought to herself."You must be Rukia-san, Ichigo has told me alot about you," she replied with a warm smile, her eyes focusing on Rukia's.

"He did?" Rukia replied, taken aback by Akatsuki's friendly tone and expression. The way she referred to Ichigo in such a familiar manner caught her off guard as well.

"Um well no, not really, only your name," Akatsuki said playfully and stuck her tongue out at Rukia.

Rukia wasn't quite sure how to proceed, this would have been much easier if Akatsuki had acted hostile rather then friendly with her. Akatsuki had almost straight away stolen any tension away from the moment. "What happened to you? Where did you come from?" she asked in a plain tone of voice, trying to maintain the seriousness of the situation.

"Hueco Mundo," Akatsuki replied sarcastically.

Rukia maintained their gaze a moment and wondered if Akatsuki had just been sarcastic to her, or had she really answered so dumbly. "Oh really? And where in Hueco Mundo?" she said.

"Ummm probably Las Noches," Akatsuki answered sarcastically again, putting her left hand to her chin as if in deep thought.

Rukia sighed, _'OK, she's definatly being sarcastic to me. But if she came from Las Noches that makes her one of Aizen's Arrancar!' _Rukia's hand moved ever so slightly towards her Zanpakuto and Akatsuki must have noticed the subtle movement as well for her expression became suddenly serious. Before Rukia could react Akatsuki had thrown herself at Rukia, Rukia's head hitting the floor hard as they landed, her vision for a few precious moments blacked out and when she came too she was looking up into Akatsuki's eyes. Their faces mere centimeters from each other and Rukia could feel Akatsuki's breath on her cheek. She tried to move but found herself unable to, Akatsuki's grip on her sword arm was suprisingly strong.

Akatsuki hadn't exactly planned it like that. She had wanted to simply restrain Rukia long enough to explain that she was harmless but had become tangled in her bed covers and had fallen on top of the female Shinigami. She could feel the heat of Rukia's body reaching through her clothes to her skin and it felt nice, it had been a long time since Akatsuki had been this close to anyone so warm and for a moment she lost herself in the moment. Her golden eyes stared into Rukia's confused eyes and she moved her hand to Rukia's cheek, brushing the skin gently with the back of her hand, causing Rukia to involuntarily blush. She moved her lips towards Rukia's and closed her eyes, "You have nothing to worry about, Rukia-san."

--------------------------------------------------------

"And that's what happened Mr Kurosaki," Akatsuki said bowing to him from on top of her bed, barely containing her laughter she put a hand to her lips to stifle a laugh. "I couldn't help myself!" With that she burst out laughing.

"Uh huh," Ichigo sighed, the whole situation wasn't worth the effort he made in running here. But he had heard Rukia scream and had thought the worst and came expecting trouble, well, a different kind of trouble to what he found. Ichigo turned to Rukia who was stood in the corner of the room, her face was flushed red, a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"Yes you can help yourself!" she shouted, pointing at Akatsuki accusingly.

Akatsuki grinned evilly, "That isn't what you were saying a second ago!" she said in a sarcastic tone.

Rukia blushed, "I thought you were trying to seduce me!" she said accusingly.

Akatsuki didn't answer but instead met Rukia's expression with a closed eyed smile and simply hummed and looked away blushing slightly. Then she snickered.

"Don't you play innocent Akatsuki!" Rukia said blushing, of course she had over reacted, she didn't know Akatsuki wasn't serious at the time.

Ichigo put his head into his hand and sighed, this wasn't how it was meant to go. He cursed at himself for not staying in the room with Rukia but Rukia had insisted. However he grinned at the two of them and realized that in truth this is exactly what he wanted, Rukia was more concerned about Akatsuki's playful seduction and looked like she had completely forgotten that Akatsuki was an Arrancar. He wasn't sure if Akatsuki had planned it this way or not but in its own way it had worked.

--------------------------------------------------------

"And now, onto the matter of the Arrancar that infiltrated the Seireitei!" Yamamoto-Genryusai said, his voice resonating around the chamber.


	6. The way things stand

**_Twilight Marionette:_** Ahhhh writers bloke, sorry for the lateness on this chapter. *wink*

**_Twilight Puppeteer:_** Your a writer?

**_Twilight Marionette:_** Silence!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its themes, plots and ideas. Etc Etc :3**

**Chapter 6: The way things stand**

"And now, onto the matter of the Arrancar that infiltrated the Seireitei!" Yamamoto-Genryusai said, his voice resonating around the chamber. "Has any progress been made in the investigation?"

Soi Fon stepped out of line and stood facing General Yamamoto-Genryusai. She nodded her head out of respect and acknowledgement. "Unfortunately we know very little compared to what we knew a week ago when the infiltration was first discovered," Soi Fon said in an apologetic manner. "We are still unsure how the Arrancar was able to enter the Seireitei and how they made it so deep within before being detected."

Zaraki Kenpachi sneered at Soi Fon. "Ha! Useless! What a waste of time, instead of all this talking we should just hunt her down and kill her." He grinned at Soi Fon who had turned to face him.

"Things are not so simple Kenpachi!" Soi Fon said in an angry yet controlled tone of voice, she wished that just for once he would stop and look at the bigger picture. It was more important to find out how the female Arrancar was able to make it so far before being detected and also to find out what her objective had been.

"Do we even know what her objective was?" Hitsugaya asked, his voice sounding harsher then he meant it to.

"We have no idea yet, we discovered her as she was attempting to leave Soul Society, there have been no witnesses either. " Soi Fon answered Hitsugaya, grateful for an intelligent question. "We had intended to capture her and force an answer but we lost her as she escaped to the real world."

"Why the real world, why not Hueco Mundo?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Another question that needs answering," Soi said stocially.

Hitsugaya nodded his understanding and turned to Kenpachi Zaraki. "But your unit followed her to the real world as well, I understand that Ikkaku Madarame found her?"

Zaraki grinned at Hitsugaya. "Damn right we did, he lost the fight though. He said he had a hell of a good time at least," Zaraki said proudly, winning or losing wasn't as important as fighting to the best of ones ability and having a good fight as far as he was concerned.

Hitsugaya considered what Zaraki had said before responding. "Can he tell us anything useful yet? I understand that he only woke up a few days ago and even then his memory was distorted," he said frowning.

Unohana Retsu stepped out of line and addressed Hitsugaya and General Yamamoto. "Though he has fully recovered from all of his injuries I'm afraid that whatever caused his memory to become distorted has not yet relented. He can only remember that she used a strange weapon and that he had "fun." As for a description the best he can offer is that the one he fought against was a female with long hair.," Unohana said in her calm, serene voice. She stepped back into line after giving her report.

"Nothing we didn't already know," Hitsugaya said and sighed. If this was some part of Aizen's plans they had to find the motive and method as soon as possible. "I think we should contact Kurosaki Ichigo as well, the Arrancar Ikkaku fought was in Karakura town. Its possible that he has seen or at least knows what happened to her."

Yamamoto nodded his agreement to Hitsugaya. Though the situation was minor in the threat it posed to Soul Society he could not take the chance that this was an isolated incident. "Captain Hitsugaya will travel to the real world and contact Kurosaki Ichigo and inform him of the situation. Captain Soi Fon will carry on with the investigation. I want to know why and how an Arrancar infiltrated the Seireitei!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well well, its seems as though our little angel is no where to be found," Gin said, a smile spreading across his face, in his own way he was happy that Otono had found nothing, it wouldn't be as fun if things were so simple. He looked at her ragged and torn body piece, its white folds stained red from where she had been slashed. "And what happened to you if you found nothing, Otono dear?"

Otono was kneeling as she gave her report, her left arm across her freshly closed wound to ease the pain and she winced at the question. "I," she hesitated as she answered. "Was attacked by a lone Shinigami." She inwardly cursed Gin for making her say it, it was humiliating enough for her as it was and she didn't need Gin making it worse.

Gin's expression turned to one of fake concern but his eyes retained their malice. "Oh my, all by themselves too? You need to be more careful," he said to Otono grinning.

"Yes, Gin-sama," Otono responded, nodding her head respectfully. His fake concern only made her feel worse as she knew that he was mocking her ability. "He was faster then I expected, next time it wont go the same way."

Gin looked down at her and his grin returned to his face. "Oh indeed, I know you won't let me down. Again." He turned away from her and walked towards Aizen's throne. "I have every confidence in you," he said in a cheerful tone. Just as he thought he was again alone he felt a presence suddenly appear behind him and it made him stop. There were very few people who could sneak up on Gin and he knew who it most likely was. "How long have you been hiding here, Ulquiorra?" he said in an amused tone of voice.

Ulquiorra walked towards Gin in his relaxed way, hands stuffed into his pockets, stopping in front of Gin. He didn't respect Gin in the same way that he respected Aizen but obeyed his orders because he knew they came from Aizen. Normally a missing Arrancar was not enough to even interest him and was certainly a task that could be done by those of lesser talents but this Arrancar was one of Aizen's favorites and he wondered why the task had not been given to him. He knew of Akatsuki and had met her on several occasions, he remembered her talking in his general direction on most of these occasions too. _'The kind of person who doesn't care that they are being ignored,'_ he thought to himself, though at least she wasn't _'trash'_. He looked Gin in the eyes as he answered in a laid back tone. "I was not hiding from you, you merely failed to notice I was here until now."

Gin's grin faded slightly but didn't leave his face, "What do you want?" he replied, ignoring Ulquiorra's comment.

"Would it not be more effective to send me to find Akatsuki, instead of your weak fodder?" Ulquiorra asked in his emotionless voice.

"Oh, interested in helping me get her back are you?" Gin said. He knew that Ulquiorra had a point but he wasn't going to admit that to him, besides, a task like this was beneath Ulquiorra's ability and that made him even more interested in why he was approaching Gin. "I guess there's a reason Aizen didn't order you to, isn't there?"

Ulquiorra's face remained passive and he simply turned to leave and walked away in an unhurried manner.

"But," Gin said just as Ulquiorra's was about to turn into the hallway, causing him to stop but not to turn. "If you want to make yourself useful, you could always find out why she left in the first place."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Ichigo grasped his head but couldn't open his eyes, the pain in his head was just too extreme, it felt like knifes being pushed into his brain. He was aware of a familiar laughing and then the pain started to ease away until it faded completely. Slowly he opened his eyes and recognised where he was kneeling. This was the place where Zangetsu and his inner Hollow resided, the blue sky and the blue buildings with their blue glass, the weather was calm here. Not like it used to be according to Zangetsu, as long as his soul was at peace then it never rained here. He knew this place all too well but what was he doing here, he tried to stand but his body wouldn't respond, as if some great weight were bearing down on him. He looked around but saw nobody but he could hear the laughing and Ichigo knew that arrogant voice belonged to one particular being, his Hollow self. Ichigo realized he was behind him but was unable to move, not even to turn his head. "Whats up with this pressure? Damn it! I can't move!"_

_"Its been a long time since we've talked, Ichigo," Hollow Ichigo said in a sarcastic tone, a evil grin across his face. He walked up behind the prone Ichigo and loitered over him. "Still as weak as ever," he said mockingly to Ichigo._

_"What the hells going on?" Ichigo said as he tried to fight off the immense pressure, slowly forcing himself to his feet and he slowly turned around to look at his Hollow self. His Hollow self was violent and insane most of the time but if there was one thing that Ichigo could rely on it was that the Hollow seldom lied. The truth amused him much more then lies._

_"I just wanted to talk with the king of this world, that's all," the Hollow said grinning, his white kimono and hakama swaying lightly in a breeze that Ichigo himself could not feel. He reached behind his back for a sword and unsheathed the blade and leveled it against the struggling Ichigo._

_Ichigo noticed the moment the Hollows Zangetsu was drawn that the blade was all but broken, it was chipped and cracked all over the blade. The only part that looked undamaged to Ichigo was the hilt. Ichigo didn't even flinch as his Hollow self leveled the sword against him and drew the blade up into the air and held it there like a executioner. Ichigo concentrated all of his will into moving, he cleared his mind and focused on that one thing, he closed his eyes and smiled at the Hollow. "I'm the king here, you have no power against me," he said confidently as he felt the pressure weaken against his will and spirit power. He looked into those cold, yellow and black eyes and saw the amusement in them._

_The Hollow smiled and laughed as if a good joke had just been told, his arm shot forward and grabbed Ichigo by the collar of his kimono, dragging their faces closer together. "I thought I told you already Ichigo. One day, this body will be mine!" he said smiling evilly, he pushed Ichigo away from him and brought the sword down in an arc towards Ichigo's body, the blade moved so fast it barely made a sound._

_As Ichigo was pushed back he knew that the Hollow would attack but he didn't fear the blow, instead of reaching for Zangetsu or trying to dodge he threw his arm up into the air the block the sword. As the sword edge made contact with the side of his arm the sword smashed instantly, fragments scattered through the air like giant shards of broken glass. The fragments dissolved in the air before they hit the ground and Ichigo grinned back at the Hollow. All that was left as far as Ichigo could tell was the hilt of the sword in the Hollows hand. "I told you, I'm in charge here," Ichigo said._

_The Hollow sighed and brought what remained of his sword closer to his face and looked at the hilt with a disappointed expression but then his evil smile returned just as quickly as it had faded, he threw the hilt away and clapped at Ichigo happily. His smile was one of pure sarcasm. He turned his back to Ichigo and started to walk away but stopped and turned his head back to face Ichigo, their eyes locked with each other. "For now," the Hollow said as he started to fade from sight, just before he fully faded away he added on. "But as long as you need me, I will eventually win, remember that King."_

_Ichigo's brow furrowed as he watched the Hollow fade from this world, what little pressure that was still exerted on him faded with his passing. Ichigo dismissed what the Hollow had said but knew there was some truth in his words, no matter how strong he became he always seemed to need the Hollows help when it really mattered. He looked down at the arm which had shattered the sword and frowned. "It may have broken but that still hurt," he said to himself._

Ichigo's eyes opened slowly and he found himself staring at the familiar scene that was his room, it had been a long time since he had been to that inner world and he knew that things weren't going to stay easy. He yawned and pulled himself out of bed and got dressed. Putting on a pair of grey trousers and a grey jacket over his white shirt he then stretched his body to work out the tension. He felt a sharp twinge in his arm and retracted it back towards him, lifting up his jacket sleeve his eyes opened wide in surprise, like a band across his arm was a dark red bruise, exactly where he had stopped the Hollows sword. He quickly pulled his sleeve back down and got ready for classes. He decided not to tell Rukia, it would only worry her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kon was nervous, Akatsuki had been staring at him for far too long and she didn't show any sign of relenting. She sat there on Ichigo's bed, her arms crossed and her face determined. Kon was sure that he had been careful enough to not move or talk when she was around, which had been relatively easy since Akatsuki was either out or asleep most of the time, in fact he was rather proud of how lazy she seemed. _'Does she know that I'm not really a stuffed toy? If not then why wont she stop staring at me!'_Ichigo wasn't here and Rukia showed no sign that she was going to save him.

"So how long have you known Ichigo?" Akatsuki asked Rukia who was sat opposite her.

Rukia wrinkled her brow in thought. "A while," she said shrugging her shoulders, in her arms she was holding Kon who she had noticed was doing his best to play dead. Akatsuki seemed much more interested in Kon then Rukia as far as she could tell. _'Does she know what Kon is?'_ she thought to herself.

"That toy lion," Akatsuki said slowly. "Um, never mind." It was so cute.

"He's called Kon," Rukia said smiling. She was surprised at how relaxed she was around Akatsuki even though she was an Arrancar, though she still didn't fully trust her intentions. "He belongs to Ichigo."

_'I don't belong to Ichigo! Don't be so cruel Rukia!'_ Kon thought, he was sure that Akatsuki was waiting for him to move and that only made it harder not to.

Rukia and Akatsuki sat facing each other but Rukia wasn't sure what to say, it wasn't every day she sat face to face with an Arrancar. _'What am I supposed to talk about? Where did Ichigo run off to anyway, leaving me to deal with Akatsuki on my own,'_ Rukia thought and sighed.

As if on cue Ichigo entered the room and looked at the two of them sitting opposite each other, Akatsuki seemed to be staring Rukia out and Ichigo noticed that Rukia was looking increasingly tense. _'Was she still flustered about last night?'_ He grinned at the thought.

Rukia noticed Ichigo enter the room, the grin on his face was completely inappropriate and she frowned at him. "Ichigo, we still need to talk," she said putting Kon down and walking over to Ichigo.

"Yeah, we can talk on the way to school," Ichigo said nodding to Rukia, he then looked over to Akatsuki who had an overly innocent look on her face and he added, "Stay inside and stay out of trouble."

"Yes yes whatever you say!" she responded, waving her hand up and down at him but not looking his way. Her eyes fixed squarely on Kon.

"I've just been ignored haven't I?" Ichigo said to Rukia and sighed. "Lets get going or I'll be late."

Akatsuki was vaguely aware of the door closing shut and she turned towards the noise. "Ichigo? Rukia-san?" she said looking around confused, _'Weren't they here a second ago?'_ Her head slowly turned back towards the stuffed lion called Kon.

Kon watched her nervously as she turned back to face him, an evil grin spread across her face and he was sure he saw a twinkle in her golden eyes. _'Save me Rukia, Ichigo!'_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you OK Ichigo?" Rukia asked as they walked together towards Ichigo's school, she had only really noticed sinde they had left the house but Ichigo didn't look well at all. He looked very tied and his face was slightly pale.

Ichigo turned to face her and smiled. "I'm fine Rukia, I just didn't get much sleep last night, don't worry about it," he said to Rukia. He was relieved to notice her expression become much lighter. Knowing that he had had a confrontation with his Hollow self would only serve to worry her for no reason.

"I wasn't worried about you, you just looked a bit off that's all," she said turning her head from him and blushing slightly. _'Damn Akatsuki, I'm not interested in Ichigo in that way.' _She sighed heavily and closed her eyes.

"Rukia?" Ichigo said, having noticed her strange behavior.

"Oh its nothing," she said smiling back at him. They walked in silence for a few minutes, as they came to a crossing and had to stop for the lights to change Rukia broke the silence, "I'm not sure I can trust her with everything that has happened to the both of us in the past. I just don't know Akatsuki-chan like you seem to."

Ichigo looked back at Rukia. He knew she was right, that there was no real way that he could trust Akatsuki unconditionally either but he really did trust in her word. Though she was weird to say the least, he felt like she was someone who kept her word when it came to the important things. As he was about to speak the lights at the crossing changed and Rukia pulled at his sleeve, dragging him out into the road.

"Come on, stop day dreaming Ichigo. Lets go!" She said pulling him across the road.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I know he said to stay in the house but its not like I actually cause trouble, I think I stay out of trouble quite well," Akatsuki said as she walked along the road with her new friend. She was wearing the red school uniform that Urahara had given her and she was carrying Kon with both arms, holding him tightly against her stomach. "I mean do you think I cause trouble? Of course you don't, Ichigo attacked Otono-chan all by himself I told him to ignore her."

Kon was doing his best to remain just a stuffed animal but it wasn't easy, it really wasn't. Akatsuki was carrying him very close to her chest and Kon was resisting every urge in his body to grab her. _'If I do that to an Arrancar it will be the last thing I ever do!'_ he thought to himself, _'They'll never find my body! But she so cute damn it!' _He risked life and limb and turned his head up slightly and luckily for him Akatsuki was looking on ahead, he started to move his paws slowly upwards but panicked as Akatsuki started talking again suddenly, letting his body go limp just as she started to look down at him. _'That was close.'_

Akatsuki was aware that people were giving her strange looks as she walked along talking to Kon but she didn't really care, what people thought of her really didn't matter to her. "This is a nice town I guess, its certainly much nicer looking then my home. But I do miss my friends there, I really wish I could just go home but things are never that simple," Akatsuki said in a soft warm voice to Kon.

Kon could here the melancholy in her words and wanted to hold her tight to make her feel better, in his own special way. _'She'd kill me but it would be worth it!' _She really didn't seem all that different from the female humans or Shinigami that he had met, she really didn't seem the heartless, evil, cold killing machine he expected an Arrancar to be. Then he shuddered as Akatsuki started to laugh evilly and tightened her grip around him. _'Where are you taking me, save me Rukia!'_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akatsuki sat overlooking Karakura town from the roof of the tallest building she could find, the pleasant breeze made her hair billow out around her, like flames surrounding her body. She sat with her legs hanging over the edge of the building, clutching Kon close to her chest tightly. Akatsuki just wished that she could go home, it wasn't that this town was a bad place to be trapped in but she really missed Las Noches. There were many people that she was fond of back home, people she considered friends, even if most of them didn't return the feeling. Akatsuki sighed and started talking to Kon again, she knew he could talk and move and was wondering just how long he would keep up the act. "Your one of Ichigo's friends too aren't you? Ichigo sure has a lot of unusually friends. I have a lot of weird friends back home too, even if they don't think of me as a friend. Most just ignore me and pretend I'm not there but some are kind, even if they don't mean to be," she said in a soft voice full of melancoly, she laughed a little as she spoke the last part.

Kon felt her hold on him tighten slightly as she spoke. He wondered why she was telling him this, _'Wouldn't Ichigo's little sisters be better for this? But then again, she can't can she, they don't know and Ichigo would be pissed if they found out about her,'_ he thought to himself and nodded, _'I'll do it! Its now or never!' _Kon pulled his way free from her grip and jumped down onto Akatsuki's lap and spun around so that he was looking up at her. He was surprised a little by the fact that she merely looked down at him with a puzzled expression. He realized she really had known that he was alive and was more surprised at his sudden burst of movement. "What kind of Arranacar gets so melancholic! Cheer up Akatsuki-chan you'll get home soon I'm sure," Kon said nodding his head.

Akatsuki reached down and picked him up by his mane and dangled him in front of her face and hummed curiously, then grinned at him. "It worked though didn't it?"

"Eh?" Kon exclaimed and then realized that she had been playing him just to make him talk. "That's not fair Akatsuki-chan!" He crossed his arms and feigned anger but in truth he was glad that he didn't have to play dead anymore. "But how did you know I wasn't a normal soft toy?"

Akatsuki closed her eyes and hummed again, smiling at Kon. "At first I didn't, I just wanted you," she said smiling at him. "Once I grabbed you in the house I realized you were alive. Soft toys don't think such perverted things."

Kon nodded, not understanding as Akatsuki's smile turned evil and her eyes opened slightly. Then he understood. "Ah, he he, you um heard that didn't you? It wasn't meant in that way!" he said shaking his head.

"But I'm so cute," she said, reminding him of what he had thought earlier. She put Kon back down onto her lap and watched as he sat down crossed legged there, he put his head onto his paw and looked up at in thought.

"So, you can read my mind, thats pretty cool and scary," he said in a neutral tone.

"It only works if I'm touching someone," Akatsuki replied.

"Thats a pretty cool power," Kon said nodding.

"Its pretty unreliable," she said scratching her head embarrassed, her face slightly red.

_'So cute!' _Kon thought to himself then realized his mistake. "Ah, damn it!" he said and sighed and jumped off her lap and stood next to her. "We should get back to Ichigo's place, he'll kill me for letting you walk about like this. He told you to stay at the clinic!" Kon said authoritatively, as if he were Ichigo's second in command. He nodded his head to make his point but Akatsuki didn't respond. He looked at her but her gaze was fixed firmly ahead and her body looked tense. He climbed back onto her lap and waved his hand in front of face but she still didn't respond. _'She looks terrified, like shes seen a ghost.' _He climbed off her and froze, there in front of him was a familiar person, though he wasn't looking this way he stood less then 5 metres away. The white haired kid, wearing a black Kimono and white captains Haori with a sword hanging down his back was unmistakably Hitsugaya Toshiro. _'Not good!' _he climbed back onto Akatsuki's lap hoping that Hitsugaya hadn't seen him.

Hitsugaya turned to face Akatsuki and sighed.


	7. Trust

_**Twilight Marionette:**_ _*Humming along happily*_

**_Twilight Puppeteer:_** _What? No clap clap clap or da da dum today?_

**_Twilight Marionette:_** _Well would I, you just did both of them for me._

_**Twilight Puppeteer:**_ _*Sighs*_

_**Twilight Marionette:**Thank you for the reviews and stuff, its much appreciated. *Thumbs up*_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, ideas or story lines. Just my own**._

**_Chapter Seven: Trust_**

Captain Hitsugaya overlooked the city from the rooftops, everything seemed calm and peaceful in Karakura town and that was the first good news he had had all day. Using shunpo he moved from rooftop to rooftop, slowly making his way towards Kurosaki Ichigo and a presence he recognized as Rukia. He would have already of caught up to them but he was being overly cautious in his movements while at the same time searching for traces of the fight between Ikkaku and the mystery intruder. He landed on another rooftop and walked over to the ledge and stood on the edge, surveying the area with his keen eyes. He was suddenly aware of quiet talking to the side of him and turned his head to the side. Sat there on the ledge was a girl wearing a red School uniform with long red hair. _'What kind of person needs hair that long anyway? I just don't understand women.'_ He sighed and stared at her back._ 'What the hell is a girl doing all the way up here by herself anyway? It's dangerous up here for a human girl.' _Whatever the case was she hadn't noticed him yet and he was almost certain that she was just a human girl. Though experience told him better then to assume that she couldn't see him just because of that fact.

Akatsuki had sensed him just before he had landed on the rooftop, though he was suppressing a great amount of power she could tell that his reiatsu was on a level far above her own. Her heart froze and her body became tense in his presence. He was a Shinigami, of that she had no doubt and he was most likely a Captain or a Lieutenant in rank._ 'Hell hells hells,' _she cursed silently in her mind, _'If he discovers me I have no idea what to do, I can't handle someone as strong as that without Hakumei here.' _She looked down to her lap where Kon was doing his best hide as well._' Kon will be in trouble too if he finds out what I am, maybe even Ichigo. I have to do something.'_

Hitsugaya continued to look at the girl sat on the ledge, he wasn't quite sure why but something felt out of place about her, a general feeling that she didn't belong here. He walked up to her and stood behind her, whatever he sensed a moment ago seemed to fade away as he approached and he was left wondering what exactly had drawn him up to her. "Can you hear me?" he asked out of curiosity.

_'Yes I can hear you now please go away!' _Akatsuki thought to herself. She was feeling sick to her stomach with anxiety. She wasn't a natural fighter like most of the other Arrancar were, no doubt they would go straight onto the attack but Akatsuki just didn't have those kind of battle instincts. _'Of course, the others would have got their Zanpakuto back by now as well,' _she sighed to herself and dipped her head feeling depressed.

Hitsugaya noticed her sigh and wasn't sure if that was a reaction to his words or the girls own thoughts. "Hey Miss, can you hear me?" he repeated. Again she didn't react but Hitsugaya wasn't able to shake that momentary feeling of her being out of place. He reached for her shoulder but he hesitated as he felt an all too familiar presence approaching him rapidly and he grimaced.

"Captain!" Rangiku Matsumoto shouted as she landed behind her captain and ran over to him beaming happily. She noticed Hitsugaya's hand hovering above the shoulder of a young lady sat by herself. It was obvious to her that the girl didn't know Hitsugaya was there and she grinned roguishly at her captain. "Oh my," she exclaimed with a giggle.

"What are you doing here Matsumoto? I told you to stay behind and finish those reports!" Hitsugaya said in a stressed tone, a vein began to throb on his forehead. He pretended not to hear what she had said about what he was doing but still withdrew his hand from above Akatsuki's shoulder without realizing it.

"So whats going on here then? Who's the young lady Captain?" Matsumoto said grinning at her Captain. She walked past her captain and poked her head out in front of the girl. She was a pretty young thing Matsumoto thought, though very pale in her complexion, she seemed to be daydreaming and was just staring at her lap. It was plainly obvious this girl had no spiritual sense at all or she would have at the very least felt Matsumoto's presence so close to her face.

"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya repeated but instantly relented and sighed, he was here to do a job and it wasn't worth his time arguing with his lieutenant. _'Who am I fooling, it will be better if I do the reports by myself anyway.' _He looked down at the girl again and shrugged. "I don't know her, I was just curious about something," he said, then remembering the kind of mind his lieutenant had, he added on quickly. "I wasn't thinking of doing anything to her, I thought for a second she might have been able to see me, that's all Matsumoto!"

Matsumoto smiled at her captain and hummed suspiciously, as if she didn't quite believe him. But she knew her captain better then that and didn't intend to push the issue. More paperwork was never a good thing and sometimes it wasn't worth the risk. But she would remember, this was something she could tease her Captain about later some more. "You haven't found Ichigo yet?" she asked Hitsugaya.

"I know where he is, he isn't that hard to find Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said but offered no further explanation about why he was taking his time. "Lets go Matsumoto. Matsumoto? Matsumoto!"

Matsumoto who had been hovering over Akatsuki had caught a faint but appealing scent and had taken some of Akatsuki's hair into her hands and was running it through her fingers. She was aware of her Captains stress levels rising but she was too curious not to and smelt Akatsuki's hair. Not only was Akatsuki's hair silkily soft but it smelled faintly of something Matsumoto wasn't able to identify but which none the less smelled very nice. _'She must spend ages every day looking after this hair,' _she thought and wished she could ask the girl what that lovely smell was. "Yes yes, coming!" she said whimsically and smiled back at Hitsugaya who was watching her cross armed.

"I hope I wasn't bothering you," Hitsugaya said sarcastically before turning and using Shunpo to leave the roof. Sometimes he just wished that his lieutenant would at least try to be a little bit more professional at times like this.

Matsumoto sighed and walked over to the ledge and took one last look at the lone girl, now that she thought about it she hadn't seen any way up onto the roof when she had followed her Captain here. She shrugged her shoulders and thought no more about it and followed in the direction Hitsugaya had gone.

Akatsuki sighed a sigh of relief as the Shinigami women followed her Captain and allowed herself to relax slightly. She wiped some sweat from her brow with the sleeve of her jacket and breathed out heavily. Suppressing her spirit pressure in the gigai was surprising easy even though it still tooka lot of control but it was the only way she could think of at the time to evade detection. Of course outright ignoring them both had helped as well, which wasn't easy when one of them was twiddling her hair in her hand and smelling it. "I do not spend ages every day doing my hair," she said sullenly to herself. "You can stop hiding now Kon."

Kon had hidden inside himself under her long hair, of which there was a lot more of then Kon had first guessed. Hearing Akatsuki's sarcastic comment he extricated himself and crawled back onto her lap and stood up facing her. "That was way too close! Lets get out of here before they come back!" he said forcefully to Akatsuki. "And I wasn't hiding, in fact I was doing it to help you out!"

Akatsuki smiled evilly back down at him and was pleased to see a look of dread appear on his face. "For someone who was just doing it to help me you were holding on awfully tight," she said sarcastically. She carefully got to her feet and subconsciously hugged Kon close to her body again, ignoring the happy sigh she heard from him and she leaped from the roof of the building towards the ground far below.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto had been waiting for Ichigo patiently on the roof of the school after letting him know through a burst of reiatsu that they were there. He had found Rukia already waiting for him when he had arrived and both Hitsugaya and Matsumoto where stood in the center of the roof exchanging words. "Hey Rangiku, Toshiro," Ichigo said grinning at them, to which only Matsumotosmiled back. Hitsugaya frowned in return.

"Hiya Ichigo!" Matsumoto replied happily with a lot of enthusiam evident in her voice. "Its good to see you again!"

"That's Captain Hitsugaya!" Hitsugaya said in a stressed tone of voice. He was used to Ichigo not using his proper rank when talking to him but it still always made him grimace. Matsumoto being here didn't help either and Hitsugaya just wanted to relax in a dark, quite room all by himself.

Rukia walked up to Ichigo and stood beside him, facing Hitsugaya and Matsumoto. Though Rukia had no reason to, she was feeling slightly defensive of Ichigo and without realizing until she was there that she had put herself between Ichigo and Hitsugaya. What Matsumoto had just told her had put her on edge and she was worried that for some unexplained reason they thought Ichigo had been involved in some way. Hitsugaya had had his eyes closed in thought but she was sure that Matsumoto had picked up on her actions and found her smiling warming back at her, causing her to blush slightly. "This is important so pay attention Ichigo!" she said haughtily to Ichigo.

Ichigo was taken aback by her sudden tone and wondered what he had just done and was about to ask when Hitsugaya starting speaking to them both.

"Please listen, Kurosaki Ichigo, something has happened in Soul Society," Hitsugaya paused for effect, making sure that he had Ichigo's undivided attention before continuing. "The Seireitei was infiltrated by person or persons unknown. However we believe that the intruder was one of Aizen's Arrancar," he carried on in a very serious tone. He noted Ichigo's bemused expression as he spoke and was glad that the danger of the situation was not lost on him.

"Was it an attack? What happened?" Ichigo asked Hitsugaya, his voice edged with both anger and concern.

"To be honest we don't really know yet," Hitsugaya responded with a solemn expression on his face. "The intruder was detected but we have no way of knowing how long she had already been in the Soul Society, never mind the Seireitei itself."

"So it wasn't an attack by Aizen or the Espada?" Ichigo asked. He looked at Rukia and noted that her expression was one of deep concern but also that what Hitsugaya was saying wasn't taking her completly by surprise. _'So she already knew about this when she came to see me?' _he thought and wondered why she hadn't said anything to him yet. "When?"

"It doesn't seem like it, the moment Squad Two made to pursue the intruder she fled from them, escaping into the real world," Hitsugaya replied to Ichigo. "It was roughly seven days ago that the incident took place, Soul Society has been on high alert until now," he said to Ichigo and Rukia. Hitsugaya walked over to the edge of the roof and grabbed the iron fencing in his left hand and he looked out over the town. "We are still investigating but so far we have very little to show for it."

"Its had everyone on edge," Matsumoto said with a slightly depressed tone, as if she didn't share the the same feeling of tension that her fellows had. But she did share her Captains concern, regardless of whether or not this was an isolated incident it was still the case that an Arrancar had easily breached the Seireitei.

Ichigo looked from Matsumoto and back to Hitsugaya and walked over to him and stood beside him, looking out over the town. He didn't say anything for a few moments, wondering what it was Hitsugaya seemed to be searching for, then he noticed something Hitsugaya had said before. "Wait! She escaped to the real world? If she could do something like that why not just escape back to Hueco Mundo, it doesn't make any sense," Ichigo asked curiously.

Hitsugaya nodded his head when he heard the question, glad that Ichigo had picked up on that. "That's a good question Kurosaki Ichigo, however again we know very little," Hitsugaya answered in a flat tone of voice. He turned to face Ichigo and carried on speaking. "The reason I came here was to both warn you and ask for your help."

Ichigo grinned and pointed his thumb at himself as he responded. "Of course I will, you can count on it! But it will be kinda hard not knowing anything about what I'm supposed to be looking for."

Hitsugaya turned to face him and sighed, Ichigo was right about that and it annoyed him just as much as he imagined it would annoying Ichigo. He moved away from the bars and walked back towards the center of the roof. "Nobody got close enough to her to get a usable description, all I can say for sure is that its a female Arrancar, with very long hair and wearing a very over sized bow knot ribbon on the top of her head." He stopped in the center with his back to Ichigo and continued. "However, Ikkaku Madarame engaged an Arrancar in the real world a few hours after the incident took place. Though I cant say for certain if it was the same Arrancar that escaped from the Soul Society, the timing makes it hard to ignore."

"If Ikkaku defeated the Arrancar then isn't the problem resolved?" Rukia asked as Hitsugaya approached her and Matsumoto.

"Ikkaku lost, he was found unconscious and wounded in this world," Hitsugaya said. He turned to face Ichigo and noted the shocked expression at the news that Ikkaku had been defeated and he guessed as to what Ichigo's next question would be. "He's fine, Captain Unohana personally treated him, but his memory of the attack is very limited. It seems he has amnesia about the 'finer' details." He saw Ichigo relax slightly though his grin had long since vanished. "Ikkaku remembers severely wounding the Arrancar however."

"Damn," Ichigo exclaimed, though he himself could and had beaten Ikkaku in the past, it was still hard to imagine him losing. "But if this was over a week ago, the Arrancar is probably long gone by now," Ichigo said.

"I agree, but I thought it wise to find out if you had seen or noticed anything out of the ordinary, maybe even encountered the Arrancar," Hitsugaya explained, though it was fairly obvious from Ichigo's responses that he didn't know anything of value but thought it wise to ask anyway. "If you do find anything we might need to know, don't hesitate to tell us."

Ichigo nodded and walked over to Rukia. "Right, don't worry about it Toshiro," he said smirking.

"That's Captain Hitsugaya!" Hitsugaya shouted at Ichigo in return.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Rukia and Ichigo watched Hitsugaya and Matsumoto return to Soul Society, the wooden doors closing with their usual subtle bang and the doors faded from sight their sight. They both remained silent for a few moments, the only sound was the breeze which was starting to pick up slightly, causing a rustling in the trees below them.

"You didn't mention Akatsuki-chan," Rukia pointed out.

"That's right," Ichigo responded in a neutral tone of voice. He had considered telling Hitsugaya about Akatsuki but had thought better of it, neither of them knew if it had been Akatsuki Hitusgaya had been talking about and Ichigo wouldn't betray her so lightly. "And I wont, not yet at least."

"Why?" Rukia asked simply. Though deep down she knew Ichigo well enough to know that he had his reasons for protecting her, she was torn between her loyalty to him and to Soul Society.

Ichigo looked down into her eyes and smiled, he reached up and scratched his head in thought and frowned as he thought about why he was protecting Akatsuki. "Because," he said uncertainly, then his tone of voice became much more confident, "Even it was her Hitsugaya was talking about we don't know her side of the story. Its not fair you know? I don't like the idea of betraying her so, well, easily. I'll ask her about it when we see her."

_'Ichigo,' _Akatsuki thought to herself, her chest felt strangely warm at his words, _'You would really protect me without asking for anything in return? That's so dumb.' _Akatsuki stepped from the inside of the doorway to the roof and walked outside into the sunlight. "Thank you, Shinigami," Akatsuki said in a soft voice. Rukia and Ichigo both spun around and stared at her in disbelief, she was stood smiling with her arms crossed behind her back, some hair blowing across her face. She brushed it aside to little effect as it simply blew back in the breeze.

"Ah! Akatsuki! How long have you been standing there?!" Ichigo exclaimed loudly, pointing his finger at her accusingly. Rukia had a similar expression on her face though wasn't being quite so loud about it. Had she heard all of that he wondered, if she had then why hadn't she left, or at least acted defensively about it.

Ignoring Ichigo's outburst she looked away from him to the ground at her side. "Its OK you know Ichigo, I don't think I could trust me either in your position," she said softly while still avoiding his gaze. "If you want me to leave I'll understand, if you decide to turn me over to Soul Society, thats OK too. I wont hold either choice against you," she said in a gentle but firm voice. "I made you a promise after all."

Ichigo stared at her eyes even though she was avoiding his gaze. Once again she was talking like a completely different person, totally different from the personality she normally displayed. Her voice and words seemed much more mature and gentle then the Akatsuki he was used to, as if he was talking to a completely different Akatsuki. He wondered which personality was the real Akatsuki and which one was the act. She just seemed so mature and calm. "Was it you Hitsugaya was talking about?" he asked bluntly.

"I don't know," she said softly and shrugged her shoulders, she turned her head so that their eyes became locked. "I honestly don't know Ichigo, I still can't remember what happened to me," Akatsuki said calmly. It was the truth, she didn't know if it was her they were taking about or not and it worried her, her memories should of returned by now but she didn't remember any more then she did a week ago. She brushed her left hair through her hair and twiddled it between her fingers.

"It doesn't matter," Ichigo said smiling to Akatsuki, he nudged Rukia who nodded in response. "I trust you, just be yourself and if and when you remember the truth you can tell me."

"I just hope your not being naïve Ichigo," Akatsuki replied warmly.

"Yeah, me too," Ichigo replied smiling.


	8. Wind song

_**Twilight Marionette: **Da dada da da daaaaaa!_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **Guess that means your computer is working again huh?_

_**Twilight Marionette: **Why yes it does Mister._

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **And that's why this chapter is so late, hope you guys like it!_

_**Twilight Marionette: **Hey that's my line you know, you don't get to take my line!_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **Admit it, you had nothing._

_**Twilight Marionette: **Silence! And thankyou to those who reviewed, all your advice is appreciated ^^b._

_**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Bleach or any of its themes, characters or idea's. Though once I rule the world things will change, oh yes, oh yes.

_**Chapter 8: Wind Song**_

"Ichigo be careful!" Rukia shouted across to him as a Hollow lunged at his right side.

"Yeah yeah I got!" he snapped back as he brought his sword down cleanly between the eyes of the hollow in front of him, splitting the mask down the middle. As the mask faded he deftly sliced his sword sideways at the hollow charging him from the right. Zangetsu slammed into the mask and sent the hollow sprawling backwards and it twitched as it faded into the darkness. "Damn it, more of them!"

Paying little attention to Ichigo, Rukia parried several attacks from the hollow in front of her before dodging the last swing of its over exaggerated claws leaving it wide open to attack. Taking the chance given to her she cleanly sliced its mask in two. The hollow roared into the night as it too faded from the world. Rukia looked to her left and right but saw nothing, she reached out her senses but found no trace of any more Hollows nearby.

Ichigo walked over to Rukia and sheathed Zangetsu on his back with an over shoulder swing. "That it?" he said testily. He hadn't been sleeping very well since his encounter with his Hollow self a few days ago, his nights had been restless and what little sleep he found each night left him only slightly refreshed.

Rukia reached inside her Kimono and pulled out her phone and flipped it open. After a few moments of checking she nodded to herself. "Nothing of interest, we can go back now," she said, ignoring Ichigo's frustrated tone. She knew his sleep had been restless and she didn't comment on his mood.

"Right," Ichigo said and he scratched his head. He looked around, it was a moonlit night and the stars shone quite brightly in between gaps in the thin layer of clouds. He guessed that the time must have been around 1AM and the air had become very cold.

"Are you OK Ichigo?" Rukia asked, trying not to sound too concerned but at the same time worried about him.

"Yeah I'm fine, just trouble sleeping is all, don't worry about it," he said smiling wryly at Rukia. He didn't want to worry Rukia about his encounter with his inner Hollow the other night, at least not yet, after all it was nothing that he couldn't handle. "You coming with me Rukia?"

"Of course," she said as she flipped her phone shut and placed it back into the inner folds of her kimono.

--------------------------------------------------------

"Damn it," Ichigo mumbled loudly to himself as he tossed and turned in his bed. For the last few days sleep had hard to find for his troubled mind. He was sure that every time he fell asleep he would end up back in that other world, with its blue buildings and white clouds. He didn't fear his inner Hollow like he used to but was weary since that encounter the other day, it was the way the Hollow had said it, it wasn't with bravado but with a tone of certainty. _'Damn it,' _Ichigo slammed his balled up fist into his pillow a few time to fluff it up and flopped his face into its softness, though it did little to help him sleep. He turned onto his back and looked up at the ceiling.

Then he was faintly aware of the sound of a girls voice, it was faint, almost beyond hearing but it was there. It wasn'this sisters though, he was sure of that, he knew their voices well and this wasn't it. It wasn't Rukia either, he had never even heard Rukia sing like that before. Besides, it sounded like it was coming from outside. There was a melody to the voice, almost as if someone was.

"Singing?" Ichigo said to himself. The sound was quiet and gentle, less like the sound of singing in the distance and more like a rhythm in the breeze itself. As if the wind itself was singing a melody it itself had heard. He rubbed his eyes and sat up in his bed, letting the covers fall down his chest, he put his hand to his head and breathed in heavily. He then got out of his bed and walked over to the window to his room and opened it, letting the light early morning breeze blow across his skin, its freezing cold touch sharpened his senses and washed away most of the tiredness that was assaulting his mind. And still he could hear the song in the wind.

"It sounds, familiar somehow," Ichigo mused and rested his shoulders on the windowsill and stared out over Karakura town, the moon casting deep shadows across the streets. His curiosity peaked, he returned to his bed and took hold of the Shinigami seal and slammed it to his chest, his Shinigami form separating neatly from his body. He caught his physical body and rested it back onto the bed and pulled the covers back over it._ 'At least one of us will get some sleep tonight,' _he thought. He walked back over to his open window and leaned his head outside and tried to guess at the direction the song was coming from but at best he could only guess. Ichigo leaped from the window and landed of the roof of the house opposite his home and in another fluid motion jumped to the next.

Ichigo looked up at the moon as he quickly jumped from rooftop to rooftop, it was full and very bright tonight with only the odd streak of black cloud crossing its surface. He could still hear the whisper of the song in the air, its beautiful melody seemed to be pulling him towards it. Only now he was definitely sure he was hearing it rather then being aware of it in his mind, it was faint and soft but there was a melancholy to it as well and he wanted to find the person singing such a song at such a late hour. Ichigo landed gracefully on a tall building that overlooked a lot of Karakura town and stood on the ledge, his eyes scanned the area below him and he nodded. "By the river?" he said unsure, "Right!"

The silhouette of a girl stood by the rivers edge, her shadowy form stood looking up at the moon as her lips formed the beautiful song she was singing. She had her hands clutched together and raised to her chin as if in prayer but rather then looking down she was looking straight forward. Her long hair blew all around behind her and her long flowing robes swayed gently in the breeze coming off the river. Ichigo kept his distance and found himself unable to approach her, instead he found himself entranced by her shadowy form.

The girl let her arms drop to her sides and she took a step forward onto the water, its rippling surface failing to give way beneath her. She gracefully walked out onto the river and started to dance as she went, her long flowing garments twirled around her, as did her long hair. The water kicked up by her movements reflected the moonlight.

Ichigo walked over to where she had been standing and just watched her, he had no idea who or what she was but he was sure that this was definitely no human girl. He considered calling out to her but thought better of it, this wasn't any of his business after all. Whoever she was she wasn't causing any harm and Ichigo had only been drawn here by her song, even though he couldn't understand the words it was still soul lifting and melancholic at the same time. Ichigo smiled as he watched her dance across the surface of the water, the shining droplets she kicked up seemed to linger in the air before slowly falling back to the river, creating ripples as they did so. Even in the shining moonlight reflected over the surface of the water he was unable to make out any color to the girl, as if she really was just a shadow dancing playfully across the waters surface. He couldn't even see her eyes from here. Ichigo wondered if the girl knew he was here, watching her dance and admiring her voice from afar, _'Would she be happy or embarrassed if she realized I was here?' _he thought to himself smiling, _'Maybe she sings here because its the only place she feels she can.' _Ichigo suddenly felt guilty about sneaking around, he felt like he was invading this girls privacy by being here like this. Then the girl stopped singing.

The girl suddenly stopped singing, her dance ended abruptly and she stood still on top of the water, ripples spreading out from her feet. Ichigo realized that she had noticed him and was staring right at him, the moon seemed to linger ominously behind her, deepening her shadowy silhouette to almost pure black. Her eyes, which Ichigo realized must have been closed all of this time opened and his gaze was met by bright but deep red eyes, which seemed to glow almost evilly. But he felt no malice from the girl, nor any sudden increase in her strangely non existent reiatsu. She started to back away from him defensively and Ichigo raised his arms to show her that he meant her no harm. The girl stopped backing away and again stood still on the surface of the water.

"Sorry if I disturbed you!" Ichigo called out to her, he didn't want her to get the wrong idea about what he was doing here watching her. "Its just that I heard your song and I kind of ended up here," Ichigo carried on. It wasn't entirely the truth, but anything thing else he realized would make him sound like some kind of stalker. He watched as the girl raised her left hand hand towards her head and twirled some hair in her fingers.

The girl walked slowly but deliberately towards the bank where Ichigo was stood, her red eyes gleamed in the night and she met Ichigo's gaze the whole way. Ichigo noticed that the expression in her eyes was one of innocent curiosity rather then either fear or malice. As she got much closer to him Ichigo was able to make out much more about her appearance and clothes, though her appearance was still faded gray to his eyes. She was wearing a Keiko-gi and a pair of hakama with a obi sash tied around her waist. Ichigo realized he'd seen this kind of outfit before, it was the kind of outfit that the girls at archery practice would wear. However, even as she got closer and closer he couldn't work out what colors the clothes were, though he guessed from what he knew that the Gi was white and the her hakama were black or gray. The girl didn't stop walking towards Ichigo until she was only a few feet in front of him, her hands together in front of her waist. Her hair was worn long down her back, were it reached just above her knees, with a large, almost equally long ponytail visible just above her head. Though he couldn't tell what color it was. But he could see her face now and she looked very familiar to him, but he couldn't quite see close enough for him to be sure.

The girl seemed to notice him looking her up and down and she smiled back at him, turning her head ever so slightly on its side and she closed her eyes. She giggled lightly at Ichigo, bringing her left hand up to her mouth as she did so. "Its nice to meet you, Kurosaki Ichigo," she said demurely.

Ichigo hadn't expected that and the shock of hearing his name being said like that made him reach for his weapon, his hand gripped tightly around Zangetsu's hilt. He swung the sword down in front of him and held it there defensively. "The hell! Who are you?!" he said in an angry tone of voice. He didn't know this girl but she knew him it seemed, her eyes remained closed and her hand never left her innocent smile. Ichigo quickly glanced down at her right hand but found she had not even moved in response to his actions. "Answer me! How do you know my name?" he said testily. Though the girl hadn't done anything aggressive to him at all, he suddenly felt very ill at ease, it was the way she had said his name, as if she were all too familiar with saying it.

The girl giggled again and opened her eyes, her red stare meeting Ichigo's eyes. She slowly extended her left arm towards Zangetsu and brushed it slightly to her left side, the back of her hand brushing gently against the cold metal. As she brushed the sword aside she walked towards Ichigo until she was standing less then a breath away from him and looked up at him. Her hand wrapped itself around Zangetsu's hilt just above Ichigo's hand and carefully pushed the blade towards the ground.

Ichigo had just stood there, bemused by her actions, she showed no fear of him or his weapon and he wondered what gave her such confidence. She had reached out and brushed his sword aside with the back of her hand and walked towards him. He wasn't sure why he let her do it but he felt powerless to resist her, even though she exerted no force against him. It was like some unseen force was making him completely open to her.

She looked up into his eyes and smiled innocently at him and reached her arms around him. _'What the hell is going on? Why cant I push her away?!' _Ichigo thought to himself, his lips felt unable to say it out loud. He felt her arms reach behind him and she pulled herself into his body, the cold night only made the heat of her body more obvious against his own. As he breathed in he caught the scent of her hair, it was nice, although he couldn't place the scent. He tried to move, to push her away, but no matter how hard he wanted to his body didn't respond.

The girl snuggled her head against his chest. "Goodnight, Kurosaki Ichigo," she said in a warm tone of voice, even though a evil smile played across her lips.

--------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo awoke with a start and sat up straight in his bed, sweat trickling down his brow and chest, his breathing felt heavy and ragged as if he'd been running for hours. He reached up and placed his hand on his chest and felt his heartbeat, which was beating much too fast for someone who had been asleep only moments before. Ichigo focused on his his breathing until it became easy again and his heart stopped beating so fast._ 'Damn it! What the hells wrong with me?' _he thought to himself with a frown. He reached up to his forehead and whipped away the hot sweat from his skin. Just as he was about to get out of bed he heard a gentle knocking on his bedroom door.

"Ichigo! It's time to wake up," his sister Yuzu called through the locked door.

"Yeah yeah I'm up," Ichigo called back and rubbed his eyes.

"You sure? I've been trying to wake you up for nearly half an hour Ichigo!" Yuzu complained and walked off down the stairs before Ichigo could answer her.

Ichigo climbed out of his bed and grabbed a towel from his bedside table and dabbed the sweat off his chest and head and threw the towel over his shoulder. He walked over to the mirror and looked at himself, his eyes showed how tired he felt and he looked slightly pale. _'What the hell was that dream anyway, it felt way too real,' _Ichigo thought as he looked himself over. He sighed and walked over to his cupboard and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and and a white shirt. Just as he finished pulling his jeans on he heard a tapping noise which made him pause. He looked around his room but didn't see the cause of the noise, having an idea he looked around again but he didn't see Kon anywhere either. Ichigo shrugged and just as he was again about to put his shirt on he heard the tapping noise again, only much louder. It sounded like someone tapping on his window, from the outside.

"Good morning Shinigami-San!" Akatsuki said sarcastically.

Ichigo turned around slowly until he was facing his window and there he saw Akatsuki and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He pointed at her accusingly. "What the hell are you doing there?" he said accusingly. Akatsuki's head was hanging upside down in front of his window, her hair blocking out most of the sunlight. Her expression was hard to tell, she was either being happy and sarcastic, or just plain sarcastic.

"I could say was hanging around but I think you'd hit me," Akatsuki said sarcastically.

"Akatsuki-chan!" Ichigo snapped back.

"You should really put that shirt on," Akatsukisaid, she smiled evilly and closed her eyes bashfully. "What would Rukia-san think if she knew you were talking to me shirtless like that?" she said with mock innocence.

Ichigo blushed slightly while willing a vein on his forehead to stop throbbing. He slipped the shirt on and fastened all but the top two buttons. "What do you want Akatsuki-chan?" he asked frustratedly. It was way too early in the day to be dealing with her random personalities.

"I'm borrowing Kon OK?" she said innocently.

Ichigo watched as her arms came down to reveal that she was holding Kon close to her body and he was upside down as well, a defeated look on his face. "There's no point in asking if you already have him," he said in an apathetic tone. Ichigo then realized that both Akatsuki's hands were in front of her and a puzzled look crossed his face. _'What the hell is she hanging on to anyway?' _He looked at Kon and saw a look of pleading in his eyes to which Ichigo merely grinned.

"By the way, where did you go last night Shinigami-san?" Akatsuki asked in that same fake innocent sweet voice that bugged him. The look on her face told Ichigo that she was hardly innocent of knowing.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo said feigning ignorance.

"I found you unconscious on the floor to your room early this morning," Akatsukisaid in reply. She gave him a look which suggested she really didn't want to know.

_'So it wasn't a dream?!' _Ichigo realized, he really had followed the sound of a girl singing to the river and watched her dance on the water. _'She knew who I was and made me move Zangetsu out of the way. But after that, what happened, I don't remember at all.' _Ichigo bit his lip in thought and completely forgot the girl hanging upside down outside his window. _'She came up close and grabbed me, and then I woke up here. What the hell was that girl anyway, she looked familiar but I can't remember her face.' _Then another thought caught up with him and his head snapped around to face Akatsuki and he glared at her. "You were in my room?!"

Akatsuki's expression didn't change on the outside, but Ichigo noticed her start to twiddle her hair inbetween her fingers and she laughed nervously. "He he he, well you see it was like this," Akatsuki started but stopped as Ichigo advanced towards her. "You see I was ummmm." She stopped dead as Ichigo stopped in front of her, face to face.

"Akatsuki," he started to say in a anger tone but was cut off as Akatsuki moved her upside down hand towards his mouth and silenced him with a finger over his lips. Thinking she was about to say something important Ichigo waited for a second in silence, so he was caught off guard when Akatsuki grinned at him and fell down past his eyes toward the ground and out of his sight.

"Akatsuki-chan! Get back here!" Ichigo shouted after her as he looked out of the window but she was out of sight. _'Damn it, she sure can move fast when she wants too,'_he thought to himself with a half-smile across his lips. He doubted her intention was anything more then stealing Kon from him, if so he doubted she was so stupid as to mention anything. _'But who was that girl then? If it wasn't a dream, just who was she? And what the hell happened last night?!'_


	9. Whispering Wind

_**Twilight Marionette:**Bonjour Bonjour everyone, how you all doing! Da dadada daaaaaa! _

_**Twilight Puppeteer:** .........._

_**Twilight Marionette:** Whats wrong?_

_**Twilight Puppeteer:** Your late again._

_**Twlight Marionette:**But...but...but... I had a migrane, i cant think with a migrane!_

_**Twilight Puppeteer:**Heh, thats just one of many reasons you never thi...._

_**Twilight Marionette:** Silence!_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, themes, ideas or, you know, stuff in general, legal stuff. Ah! Hello nice dark corner!_

_**Chapter 9: Whispering Wind**_

_Ichigo found himself here again, the inner world in which both Zangetsu and his inner Hollow resided. As usual the weather was clear with only a few white clouds in the sky, not a hint of rain and that gave Ichigo confidence in dealing with his inner Hollow self, it was agood sign that he was still in control. "Why am I here this time, need me to listen to your pathetic threats again?" he asked with feigned interest._

"_Welcome back king," the Hollow said in a sarcastic tone, completely ignoring Ichigo's question "Your loyal subjects have been waiting for you." _

_Though the words were innocent enough Ichigo could feel the extreme malice behind them. He followed the Hollows gaze and turned his back on him and found himself looking at Zangetsu, perched on his sword with his black coat flowing around him as if it were made from mist. Zangetsu however paid Ichigo little attention and simply stared off into space. He turned back to face his Hollow self, who had walked over towards Ichigo and was nearly right next to him. Less then two meters apart, they stared into each others eyes._

_The Hollow made to reach for the weapon on his back, causing Ichigo to do the same. "My my, jumpy today aren't we Ichigo?" it said mockingly and lowered its arm away from the hilt of its sword. Much to its amusement Ichigo did not at first and lowered his arm much slower. "Not sleeping very well are we?" the Hollow asked, though it was more of a statement then a question._

"_Bastard," Ichigo replied in a harsh but controlled tone of voice. The Hollow grinning happily back and started to laugh to itself as if laughing at some great private joke, which only served to anger Ichigo. "Shut up!" he shouted and as fast as a flash reached behind his back and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of Zangetsu and brought the blade down towards the Hollow._

_However the Hollow had fully expected him to react like this and reacted faster then Ichigo, deftly pushing the blade off course with his hand and slamming it into the ground. As Ichigo's free hand reached for him he grabbed it with his spare hand and gripped Ichigo's wrist tightly. "Your still so bad at this, you know that? Still so weak," He taunted Ichigo as he smiled evilly. However he released his grip on both Zangetsu and Ichigo's wrist which must of taken Ichigo by surprise for he stood dumbfounded._

"_What the hell?" Ichigo said as he pulled Zangetsu from the ground and looked the sword up and down before sheathing it on his back. The Hollow had pushed the sword away so easily and restrained him just as easily, which was not a good sign._

"_Believe it or not king I don't want to fight you tonight," the Hollow said in its echoing voice._

"_Then what?" Ichigo replied in a slightly confused tone._

"_You don't remember do?" the Hollow asked in a mocking voice._

"_Remember what!?" Ichigo replied, his frustration building, the Hollow was playing word games with him he was sure of it._

"_The other night dumb ass!" it said grinning._

_Ichigo's hearted skipped a beat. 'The other night? Does he mean the girl dancing on the water?' he wondered. "I remember well enough," he said though the words sounded hollow even to him._

_The Hollow considered his lie and merely laughed in response and grinned at Ichigo. "You don't remember at all? Nothing after she wrapped her arms around you? Thought so!" it said triumphantly._

"_And you do?" Ichigo replied testily._

"_I should hope so, I did save your life after all," the Hollow replied. "Cant have you dying on me after all, since that body will be mine one day."_

_Ichigo looked into his eyes but saw no lies there. In fact he knew it was telling the truth, his Hollow would never lie if the truth was more amusing to hear. "Saved my life? But she didn't do anything to harm me," Ichigo said, fishing for answers._

"_Heheheh that crazy bitch was going to kill you you know, I barely took control in time," the Hollow said in a sarcastic voice. "I have no idea who she was, but she really wanted to kill you for some reason, guess the crazy bitch didn't like you disturbing her dance."_

_'Kill me? But I never sensed any malice or reiatsu coming from her, though I cant deny that I felt threatened despite her words,' Ichigo thought. He must of blacked out and woke up later that morning, the thought that the mysterious shadow girl was able to restrain his movements so easily was disturbing. Though obviously she no such power over his Hollow self, or maybe she simply didn't know that he had 2 souls within him. "You killed her?" Ichigo asked. The Hollow's grin weakened slightly at the question and Ichigo grinned back. "You couldn't kill her, could you?"_

"_Heh, that bitch had some nice moves, she kept gracefully sidestepping all of my attacks, then she pulled a vanishing act on me and ran," the Hollow said, clearly not amused that he had to admit to have being unable to kill her so easily. Though next time she wouldn't be so lucky, he swore to that._

Ichigo woke up slowly as the light poured through his window and across his bed until it shone over his eyes, forcing him to turn his head away._ 'I need to find out who that girl was from the other night, I could care less whether or not 'he' is lying about what happened but I need to find out. It didn't feel like she was trying to kill me, whoever she was.'_

Ichigo climbed out of bed and went over to his window and opened it, letting a small breeze blow into his room, making the sweat on his brow feel icy cold against his hot forehead. He waited there for a few seconds, half expecting an upside down Akatsuki to appear in front of him again. Though if he was honest he didn't feel like dealing with her weirdness today. He crossed the room to his cupboard and started to get dressed. _'I really don't remember her trying to kill me.'_He heard the sound of girls laughing and walked back over to the open window and looked out into the garden below, Akatsuki was there in her red uniform and she seemed to be squaring off against his father. Ichigo didn't even try to guess what this confrontation was about but knew his father had probably started it. Yuzu was trying to get between them and Karin was grinning to herself in amusement.

_'Akatsuki-chan said she found me the other day, but what if she knows more then she mentioned, in any case, I think this is something she can help me with,' _Ichigo thought and grinned to himself.

Akatsuki's expression turned apathetic and she felt a shiver go down her spine.

------------------------------------------------------------

"A song?" Akatsuki said a perplexed tone, she turned her head on its side and gave Ichigo a puzzled look.

Ichigo nodded his head in acknowledgement. "I followed the sound of a song here," he said as he looked out over the water, remembering that girls beautiful dance the other night. "I don't know how to describe it, now that I think about it I feel as if the song was intended for me to hear," he said as reached down and picked up a small round stone and rolling it around in his hand.

"Uh huh," was all Akatsuki could think to say, she had no idea what he was talking about. "So why am I here anyway?" Akatsuki asked curiously. She had been playing quite happily with Ichigo's family when he strode into the garden and dragged her off, saying he had something he wanted her to see. She patted Ichigo on the head several times as if praising him. "Congratulations on becoming a fully fledged stalker!" she said to Ichigo as he turned to face her.

"Who are you calling a stalker anyway!?" Ichigo snapped back at her.

"The one who followed a girls voice and spied on her while she was dancing," Akatsuki pointed out in a sarcastic voice. She grinned at Ichigo's flustered expression and snickered.

"Your missing the point here! I wasn't going to do anything to her or anything!" Ichigo retorted.

Akatsuki replied with a long winded hum, she closed her eyes and smiled innocently. "Anything? I wonder what anything could be, do tell me Mr Shinigami-sama," she said in a over exaggerated innocent voice. Ichigo didn't take the bait and ignored her, turning around he bounced the stone in his hands a few times then launched it over the water. Akatsuki followed it with her eyes as it bounced a few times then disappeared below the surface.

"Do you anything about her?" Ichigo asked in a serious tone of voice.

Akatsuki sighed dejectedly, Ichigo was being much too serious for her to have fun with. "Why would you think I would?" she asked dejectedly and scratched her head. Ichigo turned to face her and she could read his expression easily enough, he wasn't fully believing her. "Lets face it Ichigo, your description leaves a lot to be desired. A shadowy girl with red eyes on a moonlit night dancing over the water?"

Ichigo's serious expression relented slightly and he smiled. "Akatsuki-chan," he said softly. Ichigo reached out and took her shoulders in his hands and looked her straight in the eyes.

Akatsuki, taken by surprise by his suddenly intimate actions failed to react at all, she merely blushed slightly, unsure of what Ichigo's intentions were. He gently moved around her, turning her with him until her back was facing the clear waters of the river. His hands slid down her shoulders and along her arms and came to rest around her elbows.

"Akatsuki-chan," he said again. It amused him to see how nervous he was making her, her expression a mix of anger, confusing and embarrassment.

"Y y y yes!" Akatsuki said much too loudly.

"Can you swim?" Ichigo asked and grinned at her.

"Eh!?" was all Akatsuki was able to say before Ichigo suddenly launched her backwards towards the water.

Ichigo watched as she fell clumsily backwards towards the water, her expression was priceless. Akatsuki hit the water with a large splash and she disappeared below the water for a few seconds before she exploded from the water like an angry bear. Her long hair hung messily all down her back and face. "Guess it wasn't you last night then huh. Seems you cant walk on water and your far too clumsy," Ichigo said as he turned around and brought his hand to his chin as if in deep thought. Then he burst out laughing. Then he heard an all too familiar noise, the sound of gathering energy and he slowly turned his head to face Akatsuki again.

Akatsuki had somehow managed to tidy her hair and face up in the few seconds he had been turned around, her eyes were closed and she had such a cute innocent smile on her face. Black waves of energy was rapidly gathering around her left hand. Ichigo's expression became nervous as she gracefully pointed her left palm towards him, the Cero energy gathering rapidly there. "Now wait, wait wait wait I can explain," he said as he crossed his arms in front of him defensively.

"I'm not angry, Kurosaki Ichigo," she said in a cute, innocent voice, "Lets play a game!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Akatsuki sat cross legged by the waters edge, her clothes damp still but no longer soaked, she looked across to her side at Ichigo and smiled warmly at him. Ichigo returned her smile with a grimace. Ichigo however was very much soaking wet, Akatsuki having chased him into the river with a WEAK Cero blast. They had since been sat in silence, watching the water flow by as they both dried out from their respective trips into the river.

"I'm guessing since I passed your little test, your next question is, can I find her?" Akatsuki asked as a way of breaking the silence.

Ichigo nodded in agreement. "Can you, you seem to be good at finding people, at least a lot better then me," Ichigo answered honestly.

"Hmmmmm," Akatsuki hummed and rolled backwards and ended up standing upright. She brought her hands together in the center of her chest, as if she were praying in a church and dipped her head towards her hands and closed her eyes. She reached out with her senses into the area around her.

Ichigo watched intently as she stood up and started to what looked like praying to him, but he guessed that was just her way of focusing. Though he didn't like the idea of admitting it, he knew she was much more sensitive then he was. First the Arrancar in the park and then Rukia afterwards, both times she had sensed their presences long before he had, he was sure of it. He wondered if that was her role in Las Noches, some kind of scout. He had to admit, right now she looked quite cute.

_'Theres nothing here besides the two of us, the only spiritual presences here are our own, if I remove those from my senses then I feel nothing here, nothing at all,'_ Akatsuki thought. She opened her eyes then felt faint, an unexpected wave of tiredness swept over her.

Ichigo watched as she slowly opened her eyes, they seemed to be more full of life then usual, more clear then gold. Ichigo's eyes opened wide in shock as Akatsuki seemed to waver and then collapse towards the ground, her knees hit the floor lightly and she fell forwards. However Ichigo was able to catch her as she fell and held her in his arms, her hair spilled across the floor as he turned her over. Her cheeks were blushed red as if she had just run a race. "Akatsuki? Akatsuki you OK?" he said and put the back of his hand on her forehead. _'No fever, I wonder why she fainted, do Arrancar even catch colds?' _he thought as he stood up and lowered her legs towards the ground while supporting her body so that she stood up against him. He relaxed as he heard her curse under her breath.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, there's nothing here to track," Akatsuki said apologetically as she gently pushed herself away from Ichigo, unsteady on her feet she carefully stood upright.

Ichigo sighed and scratched his head in thought, if Akatsuki couldn't track the mysterious girl from the other night then there was no way he could, maybe Urahara knew something he wondered. Akatsuki, who had become bored of watching Ichigo think had walked off and was humming a song he didn't know of. It wasn't the same one from the other night, nor was it the same one from when she was riding on his back. "Akatsuki! Sing for me!" Ichigo ordered which earned him an evil look from her.

"Huh!?" Akatsuki exclaimed and put her hands on her hips and leaned towards him with a sarcastic grin on her face.

"Sing for me, that song you were humming just now, sing it for me," Ichigo explained, he had a hunch and was running with it. The way she was humming, it was very similar to the way the shadow girl had been singing.

Akatsuki's face turned slightly red and she jumped away from Ichigo and pointed at him accusingly. "I'm not singing for you!" she said in a flustered tone. "We barely know each other!"

"Huh?" Ichigo said confused, "What the hell are you talking about!"

"You heard me!" she snapped back. Then she realized Ichigo had no idea why she was so flustered about what seemed like such a simple request. "I c c c cant sing this song for you, it wouldn't be appropriate!" It was a private song, one she only sung for certain people, and Ichigo certainly wasn't one of them.

Ichigo looked at her with a combination of confusion and frustration. Then he grinned evilly at Akatsuki and she returned his grin with a nervous smile. "It was such a shame about you hair, it was so nice and long as well," Ichigo said menacingly.

"Eh?" Akatsuki replied nervously. "Wait wait wait! Maybe you can sing what you heard to me instead, maybe I can tell you what it means?" she said nervously, backing away from Ichigo ever so slightly, her hands out in front of her peacefully.

------------------------------------------------------------

Otono had found her at last, whatever caused Akatsuki to charge a Cero, no matter how weak, deserved her full thanks. Trying to track Akatsuki had proved beyond impossible for Otono and it had driven her to distraction. It had been like trying to find a drop of water in the rain. Akatsuki had relatively low reiatsu, befitting her rank within the Arrancar but she was also very good at controlling the spirit energy she did have and was able to suppress it to the point that she felt like nothing more then a human. But a Cero, now that was something that couldn't be masked so easily and it had drawn Otono's attention straight away to this place by the river. "I've found you at last, Akatsuki-sama," she said to herself with unconcealed malice.

Otono reached for her Zanpakuto but stayed her hand when she saw the man standing next to Akatsuki and rage flared up under the surface of her composed facade. _'Its that Shinigami from before, how low have you fallen you bitch, to use the Shinigami to hide from us!' _Otono thought and grimaced. The orange haired Shinigami was a problem, last time he had defeated her so easily that she thought twice about jumping out. She had never seen Akatsuki fight, all she really knew about her level was the number that Aizen had given her. But, there was no way she could defeat them both.

"I wont fail!" she said to herself with conviction, then she remembered Gin's smile. "I can't, afford to fail, not again!"

------------------------------------------------------------

"That's the best I can do, pretty sure that didn't make any sense what so ever," Ichigo said as they walked along back to his home along the water front. "Well?"

"Well, I might know what language that is, I might not," Akatsuki said vaguely with a innocent smile.

Ichigo motioned towards her hair with a scissor like motion of his fingers.

"Wait wait wait!" she said quickly and defensively, "Its a very old Hollow language!"

"Hollow language?" Ichigo repeated curiously, did that mean the shadow girl was a Hollow then, or at least knowledgeable of Hollows. But Ichigo had never heard of different Hollow languages before. "So what was that girl singing about?"

"Hmmmm no idea," Akatsuki said and shrugged her shoulders. "I only recognized a few words out of that mess you call singing," Akatsuki said mockingly.

"Akatsuki!" Ichigo snapped in frustration, it felt like she was being deliberately uncooperative. "What about the words I remembered then?"

"I don't know!" she snapped back.

"How can you not know!?" Ichigo replied.

"Its hard to explain," Akatsuki said, her voice suddenly became much softer and confident. "You see, its not a language that was made for speaking with. Its a language, that was made for singing with, you see." Akatsuki stopped walking, forcing Ichigo to stop and look back at her.

"For singing?" Ichigo asked. He had noticed the sudden change in her voice and personality, she suddenly sounded so much more mature and kinder then the Akatsuki who had chased him with a Cero blast. "Why for singing?"

Akatsuki closed her eyes and smiled at him and hummed to herself. "Its a beautiful language, it really is, each word has many different meanings. The tone, the pitch, the way you move, the look on your face and the feelings inside your heart. These things, they come together, and give the words meaning." Akatsuki opened her eyes again and casually walked off, as if that deep moment had never even occurred.

Ichigo nodded and scratched his head, he had no idea what she was talking about, but he got the basic idea. "So, what your saying is, unless you were here to hear it, you cant tell me what the song was about?"

"Pretty much, those 4 words have about 10 different meanings that even come close to making sense, and plenty more that don't," she said in an uninterested tone of voice. "Besides, like it even matters, knowing what the song was about wont help you find her Shinigami, so don't worry about it, kay?" Akatsuki said and walked away.

"Heh, guess your right about that," Ichigo said to himself, since Akatsuki had already walked off, though he could quite clearly hear her complaining about him. _'But, it felt important, that i should remember, as if I'd heard that song before somewhere.'_


	10. The Traitor

_**Twilight Puppeteer **".........."_

_**Twilight Marionette **"What!?"_

_**Twilight Puppeteer **"........."_

_**Twilight Marionette **"Why are you ignoring me!?"_

_**Twilight Puppeteer **"I'm not ignoring you, I'm trying to meditate. You know? Find inner peace."_

_**Twilight Marionette **"Your not doing a very good job are you?"_

_**Twilight Puppeteer **-Sighs-_

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Bleach, its themes characters or idea's. No really, people keep reminding me its true.

_**Chapter 10: The Traitor**_

Akatsuki had walked away from Ichigo rather suddenly but she was pretty sure he didn't notice how suspicious her change in attitude was. The last thing she needed was Otono getting herself killed, which is all that was going to happen if she recklessly attacked Akatsuki with the Shinigami so close by. It had been childish and foolish of her to charge that Cero no matter how weak it had been, it had drawn Otono to her. Akatsuki still wasn't sure why but she had a awful feeling of foreboding about meeting Otono but right now that was going to happen one way or the other. She had felt Otono's presence as she as she had arrived at the river front and guessed that Ichigo's presence had kept her away. _'But why? Why am I so scared of meeting her? What is it I cant remember that's making me so afraid?'_

She stopped and waited but Otono failed to make her entrance, Akatsuki guessed that Otono was waiting for a better moment to strike. That was so very much like her Akatsuki thought, grinning to herself. She never fought honestly if she could help it. "Otono-chan!" she said, drawing out the -chan, "I know your there Otono-chan." But still nothing, which Akatsuki thought was rather silly as she knew exactly where Otono was stood and hiding. Akatsuki sighed and reached inside her red school jacket and pulled out a small spherical object which she popped inside her mouth and swallowed hard.

With a static like noise her spiritual form separated from her gigai and she stepped forwards away from her gigai. And her gigai immediately turned around angrily to face her. "Damn you Akatsuki, that isn't what I thought you meant when you asked me to come with you today!" her gigai complained loudly.

Akatsuki looked dejectedly at Kon and sighed, her body really didn't suit him at all. She didn't need him to swap bodies, but she didn't want to leave her gigai just laying around either. She had intended to look for Otono today even without Ichigo dragging her out and had had Kon's sphere in her pocket since early in the morning. "Stop complaining, I'll make it up to you, I swear," Akatsuki said in a cute voice and put her hands together pleadingly.

Kon Couldn't help himself and his, or rather at the moment her face, took on a perverted expression. "How will she make it up to me? Can I choose? The possibilities!" Kon said out loud and punched the air enthusiastically.

Akatsuki closed her eyes and smiled at him nervously, _'Why is he talking out loud like that? And what the hell is he talking about?' _she wondered, but he really needed to leave, now, she could sense Otono's rage. Akatsuki took Kon's now very feminine hands into her own and smiled at him. "Look after her, please Kon-sama."

_'So cute!!!!' _Kon thought as his face went red and using his powerful legs bounded away towards Ichigo's home. "You can count on me Akatsuki-chan!" he shouted back full of vigor.

"Yes yes," she replied, waving her left hand up and down unenthusiastically, her smile decidedly weak. Once Kon was out of sight her expression hardened, Otono started to move.

"Hello there, my cute little traitor," Otono said in a voice full of malice.

_**'**__Traitor? Me? Is she talking about me?' _Akatsuki thought to herself in shock_, 'When did I become a traitor? Whats going on!?' _She noticed that Otono was dressed in her standard female Arrancar uniform, the only piece out of place was a large red ribbon wrapped around her Zanpakuto. Akatsuki wasn't sure why but it looked very familiar.

Otono walked over towards Akatsuki, her hands still not closing around her Zanpakuto yet, she was suddenly very confident about completing her mission. "Nothing to say? Well, that's OK, I'm not here to chat with you traitor, just to take you back. That's all," she said and stopped ten meters opposite Akatsuki.

"Otono-chan? What are you talking about? When did I become a traitor?" Akatsuki asked, her heart suddenly filled with fear. What had happened that she had forgotten that would make her a traitor, she had never any intention of betraying Aizen, so why were things like this now. She unconsciously took a few steps backwards and put her left hand to her chest and closed her eyes. _'It cant be true! It cant! I never betrayed him, I didn't! Why would I betray Aizen-sama?'_

Otono looked at her with contempt. "You know exactly what you did Akatsuki-san! Don't act all innocent! You betrayed us, ran away from Las Noches," Otono said in a harsh tone.

"Otono-chan," Akatsuki started but her voice faltered, _'Was this why I was so weary of her last time, is what she saying true? But why!? Why cant I remember this!? Me of all people?'_

"Deny it," Otono said waving her hand around and around and looking slightly to the side, "Or don't, I don't care either way Akatsuki-san, but your coming back with me regardless!" Otono's hand reached down towards her waist as she wrapped her fingers around her Zanpakuto, slowly drawing the gleaming blade from its sheath and she held it out in front of her. She really hoped Akatsuki would resist, she really wanted to damage that pretty face. And what Akatsuki was, what everyone knew she was, made her feel sick to her stomach. She wasn't one of them, she never had been.

Akatsuki was confused and grabbed her head as sharp pain shot across her mind and vision like streaks of white hot light. Falling to her knees she shook her head from side to side but the pain failed to ease, it felt like thoughts were trying to force their way into her mind but she couldn't grasp what they were, they felt so foreign. "No! No no no no no no no!" she shouted at the sky as she struggled to break free of this awful feeling. Her arms felt heavy and her legs wouldn't respond.

Otono stood back wearily, not sure what was going on she hung back from attacking straight away. _'She seems to be in pain. Not that I care!' _she thought to herself and gripped the hilt of her Zanpakuto tightly in her fingers. She realized Akatsuki could barely move and smiled evilly and started to walk over to her slowly but purposefully, her sword resting on her shoulder. She stopped just above Akatsuki and looked down at her with contempt. She was just kneeling there holding her head and didn't even seem to notice Otono's presence anymore, which only served to anger Otono. She shifted her position slightly and swung her leg out forward, kicking Akatsuki backwards to the ground.

Akatsuki hit the ground hard and rolled several feet before coming to rest on her chest, her arms limp at her side, her face hurt from where Otono had kicked her but her head already hurt too much for Akatsuki to react to it. "I'm not a traitor, I'm not. I'm not," Akatsuki said in a weak tone of voice as she heard Otono casually walking towards her. She suddenly felt something heavy hit her back and the air was forced from her lungs causing her to gasp in pain.

Otono slammed her foot into the prone Akatsuki's back and grinned happily at the sight, for so long now she had wanted to do this, and it felt so good. She lifted her foot off Akatsuki's back and slammed it down onto Akatsuki's right arm. This time she got the reaction she wanted as Akatsuki screamed in pain from the impact.

Akatsuki screamed in pain as Otono slammed her foot down onto her still injured arm again and again, suddenly the pain rushing through her head didn't feel so bad. She tried to speak out out but could only whimper.

"Awwwww poor Akatsuki-san, too weak to fight back and no one to save you, it must be hard for one as weak as you," Otono said in a mocking tone. She lifted her foot off of Akatsuki's arm and knelt down over Akatsuki and took hold of her hair. "How dare someone like you be so close to Aizen-sama!" she said harshly and stood back up, lifting Akatsuki's head off of the ground she dragged Akatsuki along the ground towards the river.

Akatsuki could only watch the ground go by underneath her, her body still limp and her head on fire with pain. _'What did I do? Why? I don't remember,' _she thought to herself, frustration and anger were mixing together in her mind, but not at Otono, it was directed at herself. She knew Otono didn't like her, she never had, but she also knew that Otono would never do something like this unless she thought she was allowed too. A great many Arrancar felt animosity towards her for the attention that Aizenshowed a mere low level Arrancar. It wasn't her fault.

-------------------------------------------------------

Isshin ran quickly up towards his room, a sudden burst of reiatsu had drawn his attention upstairs. He burst into to his room and quickly moved towards the hidden compartment in his wall where he kept many of his secret things. He reached inside, already realizing that something within had broken down the seal that he had placed upon this space.

He winced in pain as he reached inside and quickly withdrew his hand and looked at it, it felt like something had burned his hand but there were no marks there. He reached inside again, the reiatsu didn't hurt so much this time and he pulled out Akatsuki's blade, its gleaming black sheath felt hot to the touch. Whats more, he felt strong emotions coming from the blade. In the blades reflective black surface he thought he could see a womens face, smiling back at him and he knew that face well.

"Akatsuki-chan?" he said, not sure what was going on.

-------------------------------------------------------

Otono let Akatsuki go just before the waters edge and rolled her over with another low from her foot. "Its a shame you didn't struggle, I really wanted to show you just how weak you really are," she said sarcastically. _'How pathetic! She wont even stand up to me, why does Aizen favor __her so much?!' _she thought to herself, anger rising through her body like fire. In anger she slammed her foot down into Akatsuki's chest, though she got no reaction, Akatsuki was still holding her head in pain.

Akatsuki felt Otono's foot slam down into her chest, pushing the air from her lungs and winding her, but her head hurt too much for her to take notice. Otono's voice sounded distant, so very far away, all she could hear was the sound of the wind as it passed across the water and through each blade of grass. Her eyes became dull and void of life. _'Why are you hitting me? What have I done? Why am I a traitor?'_

"Nothing to say? Well that's fine, I'm sure you'll have plenty to say to Aizen-sama and Gin-sama, won't you?" Otono said evilly and laughed to herself. However Akatsuki didn't even look at her which earned her another kick to the chest. Otono looked down at her prey and sighed, after all the trouble she went through to find Akatsuki, it was a let down for the hunt to end like this, with Akatsuki so weak she didn't even try to fight back. She raised her foot again, this time it was aimed at Akatsuki's head to knock her out cold. She slammed her foot down.

Then just as suddenly as the pain had started it stopped, Akatsuki's control of her body returning with it. Akatsuki instinctively grabbed the foot just before it hit her face, her left hand easily stopping the force of the blow. Akatsuki closed her eyes playfully and smiled innocently up at Otono.

Otono faltered, she looked down into Akatsuki's eyes which were clear again, but, even more so that before, as if there was a light shining from behind them. She tried to pull her foot free but couldn't move an inch. "Bitch!" she shouted and reached for her Zanpakuto, but as her fingers closed around the hilt she felt a strange sensation course through her body, like ice, it spread from Akatsuki's hand up through her body, paralyzing her. Akatsuki's eye were turning a deep shade of crimson. Again and again she tried to move but all of her nerves felt numbed and unresponsive, glaring into Akatsuki's eyes she saw what seemed to be innocent amusement. "What have you done to me?!" Otono managed to stutter.

"Whats wrong Otono-chan? Are you not feeling well?" Akatsuki asked innocently and smiled. "I thought you wanted to hurt me? So? Go on then!" she said mockingly, her expression turning dark. Then Akatsuki felt something familiar approaching extremely fast. _'That's Ichigo's reiatsu? Damn it he'll kill Otono!'_

"Otono-chan! Run away! Leave! Now!" Akatsuki commanded in a worried but forceful tone of voice. No matter what the reasons or how cruel Otono was being she didn't want to see her get killed by Ichigo. She hated to see anyone die for no reason. Her eyes suddenly lost their red shine and her arm began to shake from the effort of resisting Otono's foot.

Otono felt the icy grip release her though movement didn't come easy. As those awful red eyes disappeared her senses suddenly returned with full force and she became instantly aware that the Shinigami from the other week was rapidly approaching. "Why!? Why release me? He's your ally isn't he traitor!?" she shouted and took hold of her Zanpakuto and with lightning dexterity lifted the blade in the air but then she felt a huge wave of force aimed right at her.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Getsuga Tensho!" roared Ichigo, sending the arc of blue energy straight towards Otono, who was barely able to block it, the force sending her rolling backwards and she slammed into the ground hard. Ichigo hit the ground lightly and launched himself straight at her, hitting her blade as she jumped to her feet.

The force sent them both scraping along the ground and Otono knew how badly she was being pushed back. It was all she could do to keep resisting the force of his sword baring down on hers. "Don't interfere Shinigami! This has nothing to do with you!" she shouted at Ichigo, her face a mix of rage and fear. The momentum stopped and they were left facing each other, their swords locked together.

Ichigo threw his sword outwards in a sweeping motion, sending Otono flying backwards and nearly sending her tumbling. "What the hell are you talking about!" Ichigo roared and then attacked again, his flurry of swings driving Otono further and further back.

Otono felt each and every parry and block, each one sending shocks through her rapidly tiring sword arm. She knew she wasn't going to last long like this, and if the Shinigami was protecting Akatsuki then she had no way of getting Akatsuki back to Las Noches on her own. It was a hopeless battle and she knew she had to flee. "The girl your protecting! She's a Hollow, why should you care!?"

Ichigo jumped behind her using shunpo and slammed his blade down which sent sparks flying as Otono crudely blocked the attack by throwing her blade over her head using both arms for support.

"I don't care about stuff like that, I'm not about to let you kill someone! I don't care what your reasons are!" Ichigo said as he forced Otono down to her knees.

Akatsuki half ran, half stumbled towards the two of them. "Ichigo wait! Don't kill her! Please!" she called out and aimed her left hand towards them both, black red energy gathered around her hand.

Otono grunted under the strain, this Shinigami was just too strong, too unrelenting in his attack. She felt her arm begin to waver and falter. Her strength failed her just as she heard Akatsuki shouting out to the Shinigami and to her shock the killing blow never came. Her sword clattered to the ground and she fell to her knees panting.

Ichigo relented the pressure just as Otono's strength unexpectedly failed her. She fell to her knees in front of him and he swung his sword around over his shoulder and shot Akatsuki a grin. "I wasn't going to kill her you know. You can put that Cero out," he said sarcastically.

Akatsuki looked at him bemused and then looked her left hand in confusion. She really didn't realize she had even generated a Cero blast, never mind aimed it at Ichigo. She shook her hand violently to dissipate the built up energy. She blushed slightly in embarrassment and stood crossed armed and looked away from him. "Hpmh!"

Akatsuki had had such a determined look on her face, Ichigo really thought that she would attack him to save the girl who attacked her. _'I just don't understand her, or whats going on at all!' _He watched Akatsuki shake her hand as if it were on fire, the black energy fading away. He walked over to Akatsuki and patted her on the head and ruffled her hair, causing her to flail at his arm and she shot him a evil look. "Damn it, your nothing but trouble, lets get out of here," he said and quickly grabbed her before she could resist and threw her over his shoulder.

"Hey, I can walk you! Get your hands off me!" Akatsuki protested and kept hitting Ichigo's back. Though really she felt tired from the pain to her head earlier. _'What the hell was that pain? I've never felt anything like that before.'_

Ignoring her protests he used Shunpo and was gone from the riverfront in a flash of movement.

Otono watched them disappear, though she was too tired to do anything aout it. _'So, she really did join __forces with the Soul Society after all?'_

-------------------------------------------------------

"Thank you, for not killing her," Akatsuki said quietly to Ichigo as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. "She's not a nice person, but, Ive known her for a long time and I don't want to see her die because of me."

Ichigo smiled to himself but answered in a sarcastic way despite being happy to hear what she said. "What kind of person do you think I am anyway? I had no reason to kill her," he said to her though he could guess why she would think that.

"Well," Akatsuki started to say but hesitated.

"What?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Well its just that your a Shinigami, most Shinigami, would kill her for being a Hollow, nothing more, that's all the reason they need," Akatsuki said in a soft, sad tone of voice. She didn't think Ichigo was that kind of person, and she had long since worked out that he wasn't a real Shinigami either but when he had broken Otono down in front of her she had panicked and forgot all of that. All she had seen was a Shinigami attacking someone she knew.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Ichigo replied solemnly. "Anyway, lets get you back to the Clinic, that head could use a bandage, again."

"Its OK you know, you can just put me down anywhere around here, I wont mind," Akatsuki said, her voice more serious sounding then usual.

"Huh? Ichigo responded over his shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm causing you trouble," Akatsuki replied simply. She watched the ground go by below her as Ichigo traveled from building to building.

"Its nothing, I was just helping someone in trouble, it wasn't a problem," Ichigo said in a confident voice. "You were in trouble, that's all. You were in trouble right?"

"I'm," Akatsuki started to say but hesitated, she wasn't really sure if she was in trouble or not, the things Otono had said made no sense to her, she didn't remember anything at all about betraying anyone. "I'm not sure."

"Huh!? Your not sure!?" Ichigo said sarcastically and laughed at her.

"Oh shut up shut up!" Akatsuki complained and started to hit his back again.

"Hey! Stop that or you walking back!"


	11. That which is missing

_**Twilight Marionette: **Desu desu DESU!_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **Huh!?_

_**Twilight Marionette: **I said Desu~!_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **Trust me, I heard you the first time._

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own Bleach, its characters, theme's, idea's or....oh hey it so sunny outside!**

_**Chapter 11: That which is missing**_

"Why must you be so rough!?" Akatsuki moaned dramatically as Ichigo tried to examine her arm.

"Well if you held still it would be much easier!" Ichigo complained. He was trying to examine Akatsuki's arm and was having mixed success. Though Akatsuki hadn't mentioned anything to him on the way back to the clinic he had noticed her acting overly protective of her right arm. She tried to pull her arm away from him again and he squeezed her arm slightly.

Akatsuki jumped from the sudden pain and turned her head to face Ichigo, her expression a mix of pain and embarrassment. She stuck her tongue out at Ichigo and turned away from him to sulk and allowed him to look at her arm.

Ichigo grinned at her reaction and was happy that she was finally cooperating with him. He rolled up the sleeve of her white kimono and looked up and down her arm, gently turning it over so he could check for injuries. There were no marks of any kind on her pale skin, not even a single bruise or blemish, which Ichigo thought was strange since he was certain that there were foot prints on her kimono's sleeve.

"What did she do to your arm?" Ichigo asked.

"Hehe nothing really," Akatsuki started to answer.

Ichigo squeezed extremely lightly, causing her to jump again.

"Heheh she may of accidentally stepped on it a few times," Akatsuki replied in an unconvincing innocent voice.

Ichigo sighed at her response. It was obvious then that the woman had been repeatedly slamming her foot down on her arm, so Ichigo wondered why Akatsuki was being so forgiving about it. He gently felt his way up her arm as carefully as he could, checking for any signs that her arm was broken but was relieved to find nothing. However the pain in was causing Akatsuki told him that at the very least her arm needed bandaging up.

"Hold still a minute," he said as he got up and went over to his desk draw, opening it up he reached inside and removed a basic first aid box.

Akatsuki still hadn't turned to face him and sat with her back to him on the middle of his bed. She sat with her arms curled around her knees, letting her bury her head into her legs. She felt Ichigo prod her back and she obediently offered him her right arm which he took hold of careful and started to wrapped material around her lower arm where it hurt the most.

"So why did she 'accidentally' step on your arm half a dozen times?" Ichigo asked in a serious tone. When he had realized something was wrong he had found the Arrancar standing over Akatsuki, and it looked like she was trying to step on her face. He just didn't understand why she wouldn't say anything even though they both knew she was lying.

Though Akatsuki was hiding her face in between her legs she was sure her expression had turned dark. She felt very angry and frustrated and was trying her best to hide that from Ichigo. "Your very blunt Shinigami-san," Akatsuki said in a depressed voice. Just as she felt Ichigo tie off the ends of the bandage she wrenched her arm free and climbed off of his bed.

"Hey!" Ichigo protested to Akatsuki's back but she had already left his room and closed the door behind her. "Damn it, whats her problem?" Ichigo said out loud.

Isshin watched Akatsuki leave Ichigo's room, as she closed the door behind her she turned and rested her head against the door, her left arm cradled her right arm and she sighed heavily. Her white kimono reminded him greatly of the white kimono that shinigami who had lost their powers wore. While Akatsuki rested her head against Ichigo'sdoor she reached up and wrapped her fingers around the large silk scarf and pulled it free from her neck, revealing the thick bone collar around her neck that Isshin assumed was the remains of her Hollow mask. Her hand dropped away from her neck, the silken scarf wrapped tightly in her fingers.

Akatsuki turned to face Isshin who was looking her straight in the eyes. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Then she pretended not to notice him and slowly walked off down the corridor.

Isshin walked over to where she had been stood and knelt down, his fingers closed around the red silk scarf and he stood back up. It was softer then any silk he had ever felt and he wondered if it was stronger then it looked too._ 'She's no fool, she knows I can see her, so why did she pretend not to notice?' _he thought to himself.

------------------------------------------------------

Akatsuki sat up in her bed with the covers wrapped her as she hugged her knees, she felt like crying but she was too angry to cry, and in truth she didn't even know why she needed to cry at all. It was all so frustrating, that of all people, she, who could read the memories and thoughts of others would herself have amnesia. She fell onto her back and thrashed her arms and legs about like a child having a tantrum. Once she had got that out of her system she lay still on the bed, the only sound was that of her gigai's breathing.

"Ahhhh damn it, this is no good," Akatsuki said to herself and sighed. Everything was so confusing that it made her head spin. "Damn it damn it damn it!" She climbed out of bed and walked over to the window and looked out at the setting sun. There were going to be no stars tonight, she could tell, even though the sky was so clear and cold.

"What would sister think of me if she saw me like this?" Akatsuki said to herself and laughed. She could just imagine Hakumei standing over her and whacking her repeatedly on the head with her scythe and scolding her for being so soft. "That's right, I'll do the best I can! I'll just have to find whats missing!" she said to herself with conviction and punched the air with her good arm.

Then less enthusiastically she scratched her head and laughed to herself. "Now I just need to think of something to do."

------------------------------------------------------

"It would seem that Akatsuki is in Karakura town after all," Gin said in his oily voice, his usual grin spread across his face menacingly. Though Otono had come back defeated again he had let her live on a whim, after all, he thought it was more fun to watch her watch her back nervously. Besides, she had at least found Akatsuki. "However, she escaped us again it seems," Gin carried on, his voice showing his disinterest in such small details. It would of been much easier if was able to search for the girl himsef, and much more amusing as well, but he was awareas was Aizenthat their presense in the world of the living would be noticed by Soul Society almost immediately.

Aizen sat on his throne, his chin resting on his hand as he considered Gin's words. "I see, at least we now know where she is," he said in his usual charming voice. A smile played across his lips. He turned his attention back to the other occupants of the throne room. Stood to his left was Kaname Tousen, though standing in a relaxed manner he always seemed ready for action, his blank expression revealing nothing at all. Stood to attention in front of him was Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra, of all the Espada was the one who Aizen knew respected him the most. However he noticed that Ulquiorra seemed ill at ease, which was a very hard thing to tell and Aizen nodded his head ever so slightly towards him.

Ulquiorra took the nod as permission to speak. "With respect, Aizen-sama, would it not be easier if you send me to recover Akatsuki?" he asked in his stoic voice, his facial expression remaining completely unchanged as usual.

Aizen's smile widened slightly at the question. It was true of course, logically Ulquiorra was the best suited to finding his missing doll, his tracking and combat skills were very worthy of praise and he would make sure not to injure Akatsuki if at all possible. He waited for Ulquiorra to continue but Ulquiorra stood waiting patiently for Aizen to respond, his expression emotionless as always. What interested Aizen the most was that Ulquiorra had spoken up in the first place, he normally waited for orders respectfully, carrying them out with his usual cold hearted efficiency. "I have another task for you," Aizen stated plainly.

"As you wish, Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra replied.

------------------------------------------------------

Grimmjow yawned impatiently as he leaned cross armed against the cold stone wall outside of Aizen's throne room. He wasn't in the habit of eaves dropping but he had been bored, nothing of interest had happened lately at all since Akatsuki had ran from Aizen's grip. Besides, he knew that those in the throne room were aware that he was here listening in, so it wasn't really spying at all. They were talking about Akatsuki, the Arrancar who had apparently turned traitor against Aizen. At the time he had grinned at the news, Akatsuki had not seemed the type to do something like that, it wasn't like her at all. The fact that they still had not dragged her back only served to amuse Grimmjow even more and he grinned.

"What do you want?" Ulquiorra asked in a neutral tone of voice.

Inwardly Grimmjow flinched, he hadn't noticed Ulquiorra appear in front of him at all and his voice had come as a shock but he was careful not to let it show on the outside. He wouldn't give Ulquiorra that satisfaction. He slowly and deliberately stood up straight in front of Ulquiorra and looked down at him with a uninterested expression. "Nothing that concerns you," he said menacingly and grinned at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra's expression didn't change in the slightest but this didn't surprise Grimmjow.

"Is that so," Ulquiorra said in a matter of fact way, rather then as a question. Grimmjow's attempt at intimidation was wasted on him.

"Yeah," Grimmjow said and turned and walked away from Ulquiorra down the hallway, his footsteps echoing loudly in the huge space. He didn't hear Ulquiorra move but wasn't taken by surprise this time when Ulquiorra appeared in front of him, his sonido almost soundless. He ignored Ulquiorra's attempt to block his path and walked around him casually.

"What do you know about Akatsuki?" Ulquiorra asked Grimmjow, making him stop but not turn around.

"Ha!" Grimmjow exclaimed loudly and grinned. "Why ask me!? I'm sure I know nothing you don't already know," Grimmjow said evilly, amusement obvious in his voice.

Ulquiorra put his hands in his pockets and walked over towards Grimmjow and stood beside him, earning him an aggressive growling noise from Grimmjow which he ignored. "Do not hide anything from me," he said in a calm, emotionless voice. He didn't wait for Grimmjow's reply and slowly but purposefully walked off down the corridor.

Though his words and tone had been completely benign, Grimmjow had felt the threat in the words as Ulquiorra had walked away from him. However the hidden threat was wasted on Grimmjow and he just shrugged his shoulders. "As if I'd tell you anything," he said in a harsh tone of voice.

High up in the darkness of the hallway a figure stood upside down on the ceiling watching the two Espada walk away. Grimmjow suddenly turned and looked towards the ceiling but saw nothing there, the figure gone from the shadows. Though Grimmjow couldn't see or or sense anyone there he was sure whatever it was was still close enough to hear him and he was fairly sure who it was anyway. "If your worried about her, why not go after her yourself! I'm not gonna help you!" he shouted seemingly to himself. Receiving no response he tutted irritably and stalked off down the halls of Las Noches to find something to amuse himself.

------------------------------------------------------

"Akatsuki! Hey! Akatsuki you in there!" Ichigo half shouted as he banged on the door to her room. Though he wouldn't tell her, he had felt guilty about upsetting her yesterday night. Though he still wasn't really sure what he had said to upset her. "Hey!"

Ichigo turned to walk away when he heard the faint noise of someone falling out of bed, he turned around and stood patiently for the door to open but nothing happened. "Hey! Don't fall back asleep on the ground you lazy idiot!" he said and banged on the door again. _'Oh yeah, good idea, make her feel better by waking her up and calling her a idiot, damn it. I'm the one being a idiot!' _he thought to himself and grimaced. This time it sounded like someone wrestling with a bed cover and losing, more silence, and then the sound of footsteps. Ichigo watched as the door handle turned and opened.

The door opened ever so slightly so that Akatsuki could peek through the gap, her golden eyes looked much better then they had yesterday after the attack Ichigo noticed which was a relief, they had looked so lifeless before. "Shinigami?" Akatsuki said in a sleepy voice, the word ending with a yawn which she stifled with her hand.

"Hey, about yesterday," Ichigo started but hesitated as he wasn't very good at this kind of thing.

"Huh? What?" Akatsuki said quietly and yawned again.

"I just wanted to apologize, that's all, I felt like I might have said something to upset you," Ichigo said in a serious voice, his gaze intently locked onto her sleepy eyes.

"Yesterday?" Akatsuki said and almost fell asleep at the door.

"Can we talk?" Ichigo said and moved towards the door which Akatsuki opened lazily and he walked inside. The room was a mess, not that there was much in the way of furniture and items to make a mess with. But Akatsuki had done an admirable job with the pillows and covers from her bed._ 'She really did fall out of bed' _he thought and grinned. He picked up the pillows and covers and started to make her bed. "Anyway, sorry about yesterday, whatever it was I said, but, I think I deserve to know what she was talking about, don't you?" Ichigo said in a kind but serious voice.

"Its not easy," Akatsuki said to Ichigo, she cradled her right arm without thinking. "Truth is, I have no idea whats she's talking about."

"Seriously? She said some pretty harsh things to you. Most people don't attack you like that over nothing either," Ichigo said curiously as he fluffed the pillow and put it at the head of the bed. He turned around to continue and stopped dead, his face turned red as he blushed. Only now did he notice. Akatsuki was all but naked, all she had on was a pair of panties and nothing else, her long red hair was spilling over her shoulders, hiding her breasts from sight. _'Damn it! Not good!'_

Noticing Ichigo turn red Akatsuki closed her eyes and smiled innocently. "Yes?" she said.

"I, well, the thing is," Ichigo stuttered.

"Is something wrong Shinigami-sama?" Akatsuki asked innocently. She reached up towards her hair to brush it from in front of her body.

Ichigo turned even more red and ran from the room and slammed the door behind him. "Join us for breakfast when you dressed!" he said from behind the door and hurriedly walked off.

"Hehehe," Akatsuki laughed to herself and walked over to her cupboard and withdrew the outfit Urahara had given her before. Once she was dressed she spent nearly 15 minutes brushing her long hair till she was satisfied that is was evenly smooth and soft and jumped to her feet. "Right!" she said enthusiastically and grinned. "Time to find whats missing!"

------------------------------------------------------

"Good morning Akatsuki-chan!" Yuzu said happily as Akatsuki entered the kitchen to join them for breakfast. In truth Akatsuki was hardly even hungry but it felt like the right thing to do, after all, they were being so kind to her it would be wrong not to accept. But she still didn't understand why they would be so kind to a total stranger.

"Good morning Yuzu-chan," Akatsuki said and smiled at Yuzu as she passed by. Akatsuki had noticed that Yuzu liked to do all of the housework, including cooking most of the families meals. Akatsuki could feel the happiness from her whenever she was busy like this, it was a pleasant feeling. Akatsuki sat down at the table next to Ichigo's father, Isshin and placed her hands on her lap and waited politely. Ichigo, who was sat opposite her was doing his best to avoid eye contact and sat with his elbow on the table to support his head. Akatsuki's expression narrowed and a evil smile played across her lips.

Karin had noticed Ichigo's and Akatsuki's respective expressions and was interested in a otherwise boring part of the day. "My my, whats this then?" Karin said sarcastically to her brother. "Shes giving you the evil eye Ichigo."

"You know now that you mention it your right Karin-chan!" Isshin piped up and looked between Akatsuki and Ichigo several times.

Ichigo ignored his sister and father, they would never let him forget it if they found out he had walked in on Akatsuki naked. He could just see it now, his father giving him the thumbs up and saluting him and spouting some nonsense about him becoming an adult. Karin would just mock him for the next few days until she got bored and Yuzu would blush and scold him for invading Akatsuki's privacy. He mentally willed Akatsuki not to say anything, but that evil expression didn't give him much hope. _'She wouldn't dare! Would she?'_

"It's nothing, I just don't feel well, that's all," Ichigo said dismissively.

"Oh my!" Akatsuki said in mock shock, which didn't match her evil expression and smile. "Maybe next time you shouldn't run off so fast," she said sarcastically.

Ichigo nearly choked and turned to face her, unable to stop himself from blushing slightly. His father and sisters both suddenly had their attention focused on Akatsuki. "What do you mean!" Ichigo stuttered out.

"Oh I'm sorry I misheard, ignore me," Akatsuki said happily and waved her left up and down dismissively towards Ichigo. She smiled cutely at Yuzu as she placed some toast down in front of Akatsuki.

Yuzu then served Ichigo and noticed that he had gone back to looking depressing and she sighed and patted him on the head which snapped him out of it. "Poor Ichigo! If your not feeling well you should go back to bed," Yuzu said in a stern but caring tone.

"Yes poor Ichigo," Akatsuki said.

"Sorry to worry you Yuzu, I'll be fine, just having trouble concentrating is all," Ichigo said and took a bite out of his toast.

"You didn't seem to be having trouble concentrating earlier Ichigo," Akatsuki said sarcastically, causing Ichigo to nearly choke. She watched in interest as Ichigo suddenly jumped to his feet and quickly walked around the table to Akatsuki and grabbed her hand.

"I just remembered, I promised to show Akatsuki around today! We should really get going!" Ichigo said and dragged Akatsuki to her feet and hurried her out of the house before anyone could say anything. Akatsuki waved to Yuzu as Ichigo dragged her out of the door.

"Ho ho, how very interesting!" Isshin said to himself and crossed his arms and closed his eyes as if in deep thought. Akatsuki seemed much more full of life then she had last night and that relieved him, he wasn't sure what was wrong or what had happened but he was glad that she wasn't letting it get her down.

"That was nice of brother wasn't it," Yuzu said in a sweet voice.

Both Isshin and Karin looked at each other and grinned wickedly.

------------------------------------------------------

"So where are we going?" Akatsuki asked curiously as Ichigo pulled her along the street. Ichigo seeing her naked didn't mean very much to her but she decided to pretend she was holding a grudge, at least for a little longer. Ichigo was so childish she thought.

"We are not going anywhere, I'm going on patrol with Rukia" Ichigo said and stopped walking once they were a good distance away from the clinic. "You know you really need to be careful what you say, people might get the wrong idea," Ichigo scolded her.

"Who might get the wrong idea?" Akatsuki asked innocently.

Ichigo was about to answer her when he realized that that innocent question was a trap, he steeled himself for what he knew was coming.

"And what wrong idea is that?" said Rukia in a curious but harsh tone. Ichigo slowly turned to face her.

"Nothing at all!" Ichigo said defensively.

Akatsuki lifted her left arm and Ichigo's right arm along with it into the air. "You might want to let go of my hand first," Akatsuki pointed out sarcastically. Ichigo let go of her hand, allowing her arm to fall to her side. She put her hands together behind her back and leaned forward towards them both and smiled evilly. "I'll leave you two love birds to your patrol," Akatsuki said and ran off down the street.

"How are things going?" Rukia asked once she was sure Akatsuki was out of earshot.

"Theres no problem," Ichigo said bluntly. "We better get going."


	12. Black Cat

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **Sorry for the really late update, Twilight Marionette went on holiday and was too lazy to find a computer to post her latest chapter._

_**Twilight Marionette: **Ahhhhhh._

_**Twilight Puppeteer:** She gives her most sincere apologies._

_**Twlight Marionette: **It burns!_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **She also hope everyone else had a nice holiday too._

_**Twilight Marionette: **I'm dying here!_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **-Sigh-_

_**Disclaimer: **What? Do I really need to write this every time? I do? Really? Says who? OH! THEM! I do not own Bleach or any of its stories, characters or …I cant be bothered, you take over. -waves-_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **Get back here you ingrate!_

_**Chapter 12: Black cat**_

"Your in the way!" Jinta protested and tapped his foot impatiently. He looked down at the lazy girl laying across the hallway and tapped her with his foot. "Oi move it!"

"Huh?" Akatsuki said and looked up at Jinta, his face hidden behind the boxes he was carrying.

"Your in the way," Jinta repeated sarcastically and tapped Akatsuki's leg again with his foot. He had considered just stepping over her but didn't trust her not to do something strange to him, after all, to Jinta she seemed like the type.

Akatsuki smiled at Jinta and stood up and moved to the side, letting the struggling Jinta walk past her. "You look like you need help," Akatsuki pointed out, noticing his arms shaking slightly from the weight of the boxes.

Jinta carried on slowly and shook his head. "I'm fine, this is nothing Lady," he said in a gruff tone. He had picked too many boxes up and was regretting it now, but he wasn't going to admit it to Akatsuki. A real man didn't ask a women for help he liked to think. "What do you want anyway? The Boss isn't in and neither is Tessai," Jinta said expecting her to ask about Urahara.

Akatsuki danced in front of him, causing him to stop abruptly and shoot her an annoyed look of impatience. She peered over the top of the boxes and grinned down at him. "Maybe I'm here to talk to you," Akatsuki said in a sweet tone and smiled innocently at Jinta. Jinta returned her smile with a grimace.

That smile unnerved him, even through she had such a carefree and happy expression on the outside he could imagine her laughing evilly inside her head. "Your in the way again," he pointed out in a flat tone of voice. His arms were really shaking now and he worried about dropping the boxes, not that he knew or cared about what was inside them, only that Tessai had asked him to fish them out of storage. He really didn't want Tessai to punish him for dropping them and breaking whatever was inside, it was really painful he remembered._ 'What the hell is in these things anyway? There way too heavy for their size, its like trying to carrythat freeloader Renji,'_ he thought to himself and grinned.

Akatsuki floated off to the side to let him pass, her expression no longer happy but serious and apathetic as she watched Jinta go past. "Your going to drop them," she said in an uninterested tone.

Jinta ignored her and kept walking. _'Stupid girl,'_ he thought to himself and as he put his left foot down again he felt the balance of the boxes suddenly shift.

_'Damn it!' _he thought but wasn't able to do anything as he had lost his balance along with the boxes and went falling forwards. He felt a gentle gust of air brush past his check and someones hand steadying him. He looked up and Akatsuki had a hand on his chest, stopping him from falling forwards. He looked around and noticed that she was carrying and balancing the boxes with her left hand as if they weighed little move then feathers. "Whoa, your pretty fast," he said and grinned, there was no way he was going to thank her even though he was a little grateful.

"Your welcome Jinta-kun," Akatsuki said and smiled back at him, making him blush slightly and look away from her.

"Your welcome? I never thanked you for interfering!" Jinta crossed his arms and huffed at her, "Well now that you have hold of them you can take them into the room in the back," he said and pointed down the hallway. "Follow me."

"Yes sir!"

-------------------------------------------------

"Jinta-kun!?" Ururu moaned and hid behind Jinta defensively, "Whats the hollow girl doing here?" Ururu looked at Akatsuki nervously as she looked over Jinta's shoulders. Akatsuki was sat crossed legged at one side of the table.

"Like I have any idea, I cant seem to get rid of her," Jinta said dismissively and shrugged his shoulders at Akatsuki. "Damn it, she better not become another freeloader," he said and walked out the room with his hands wrapped behind his head, leaving Ururu and Akatsuki alone.

"Freeloader?" Akatsuki said in a confused voice. She flung herself backwards and looked up at the ceiling, _'Its kinda sad that have this much spare time,'_ she thought to herself and sighed, _'But I really need to see the creepy hat guy.' _She heard a faint swishing noise which she guessed was Ururu going about her sweeping and wondered why the girl was still so scared of her, Jinta didn't seem to be, in fact Jinta seemed to not care in the slightest.

It had been such an awful dream last night, she had actually been grateful that Ichigo had been banging on her door and fumbling an apology. She grinned evilly to herself remembering his face as he realized she was all but naked and had fled the scene like a guilty man caught in the act. He had been trying to apologise for last night, for upsetting her and she thought that had been sweet, and a bit silly. As far as she was concerned she was the one who needed to apologise for giving him the cold shoulder the way she had, he had only been trying to help her and had been worried about her in his own way. She had felt it from him as he had asked the question that upset her, he wanted to help, nothing more. _'Ichigo...'_

The bristles of the broom gently whacked her in the face, snapping her out of her self reflection. "Your in the way Hollow girl," Ururu said in a meek tone as she lifted the broom from Akatsuki's face.

"Huh," Akatsuki managed to say, getting hit in the face with a broom was one of the last things she was expecting and was a little slow on the uptake. Ururu hit her again with the broom.

"Please move Hollow girl," she repeated meekly.

Akatsuki rolled over and stood up, brushing herself off. Ururu swept the spot she had been laying quietly and looked up at her when she was finished, "You can lay down again now Hollow girl," Ururu said and nervously bowed slightly.

"Hollow girl? I'm Akatsuki, A-Kat-Su-Ki," Akatsuki complained and waved her arms about childishly.

Ururu looked at her curiously and tilted her head slightly as she considered Akatsuki. The first time she had encountered Akatsuki had bot been pleasant, even though she was mostly to blame for it, the girl had been with Ichigo after all but Ururu had responded almost mechanically. Akatsuki could have killed her but she hadn't, but it was the ease with which Akatsuki changed the situation so easily in her favor that left her uneasy, not just her anti-hollow instincts. She remembered how it felt to have a Cero being charged inches from her head. The Akatsuki waving her arms about and complaining like a child was not the same one who had nearly killed her, she had a much more, mature attitude last time.

"Your a hollow girl," Ururu said uncertainly.

Akatsuki sighed and stopped waving her arms about and twiddled her hair between her fingers, "Well I guess that's true," she conceded in a depressed tone, "But my name is Akatsuki!"

Just then Urahara flounced cheerful into the room with Tessai in tow and he beamed happily at Akatsuki and Ururu. "Hello there Ururu, Hollow girl," he said and grinned at them both.

Akatsuki shot him a evil glare,"Why you!"

Tessai nodded in greeting to Akatsuki with a very heavy looking bag under his arm. "Its nice to see you again Hollow girl," he said in a serious but pleased tone.

Akatsuki's glare deepened and its focus swifted between Urahara and Tessai. "My name isn't Hollow girl."

"Hey Boss, that Hollow-lady is freeloading around here somewhere," Jinta interrupted as he entered the room before he noticed Akatsuki was there already.

"I hate you all!" Akatsuki said in a defeated tone.

-------------------------------------------------

The Senkai gate opened with a deep thud which echoed through the area around the gate. The light from the opening doors only slightly noticeable in the early morning light, the gate itself casting no shadow even though the sun was against its back. Just as the doors fully thudded open two silhouettes appeared in the light of the open gate.

The two Shinigami strode out of the threshold into the crisp morning air, their kimono's flapping lightly in the light breeze that blew against them. They spread out from the gate and turned around to watch as the doors of the Senkai gate slowly closed shut, their Hell Butterflies fluttering off as the gate faded from sight as quietly as it had first appeared.

"Well now what?" Yumichika said as he brushed his fingers lightly through his hair and admired the softness of his own hair. He turned to his friend and smiled.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna find that Arrancar!" Ikkaku replied in a brash and confident tone, his arms draped over his Zanpakuto which was being held over his shoulders behind his head. He returned Yumichika's smile with a confident grin.

"Well that goes without saying," Yumichika replied and shook his head for having to say such a obvious thing. "What I meant was where do we start looking? I assume you know where to go?" Yumichika said sarcastically to his friend.

Ikkaku turned his body to face him and stared at Yumichika for a while as if in deep thought and after a while finally spoke. "Not a clue," he said in a tone which dared Yumichika to criticize him. Yumichika merely grinned at Ikkaku and said nothing. Ikkaku waited but realized that Yumichika wasn't going to help him unless he said something. "Any idea's?" Ikkaku finally asked reluctantly.

Yumichika nodded at the question and brought his hand up to his chin as if he were busy thinking up a plan, though in truth it was just an act to make him look good, he had already thought up a plan of action days ago when Ikkaku had started to get restless after being released from the medical facility. Though he admitted to himself that it wasn't going to be easy, if Soi Fon's agents had yet to turn up any clues or solid information about the suspected intruder then their chances were slim at best. He had to admit, regardless of what their target looked like, her ability to hide was almost beautifully perfect. "First we need to go back to where you fought her, we'll decide what to do then," Yumichika said confidently, "You do remember where you fought her right?"

"Of course I do!" Ikkaku said and ran off in the direction he was certain was correct, though his memory was still a bit hazy of that fight, all he knew for sure was that he wanted a rematch.

Yumichika nodded in agreement with Ikkaku and started to follow him, but a strange sensation ran through his body for a brief second. He stopped and looked around but there was nothing to be seen, only a few living people who were completely unaware of his existence and of no interest. He couldn't sense any reiatsu either but he sure he had sensed something, though he wasn't sure what it had been at all. He shrugged his shoulders and ran after Ikkaku but was careful not to let his guard down, there was something strange in this town.

For a moment there was nothing but the gentle wind making the grass sway where the Senkai gate had been only moments before, no sign that it had ever existed at all. Then the sharp tip of a blade suddenly cut its way through the air from nowhere and was left midair as if levitating, the other half of the object in another world altogether. It was then drawn horizontally across the air in one quick cutting motion, tearing apart the boundaries between the living world and Hueco Mundo. In the darkness of the inner gateway a pair of beautiful, vibrant red eyes stared out at the world. The Arrancar sighed and patiently walked out from the gateway, the jaws of the gate snapping shut behind her.

The girl floated slowly and gracefully towards the floor as if the air were water, he feet touching the ground gently as if she weighed nothing at all, her long white dress kimono spreading out around her. Her long brown hair, which had a large red bow ribbon tied at the back, blew gently in the breeze. She looked around and reached out with her exceptionally sharp senses but didn't find what she was looking for. She sighed and started to walk in the same direction as the Shinigami who had arrived here only moments before her, her kimono trailing behind her.

-------------------------------------------------

Urahara sat opposite Akatsuki and smiled at her. Her own expression seemed very forced. He couldn't help himself. "So what do we owe the pleasure of this visit Hollow-girl?" he said jovially and waved his cane around theatrically.

Akatsuki snapped immediately. "Damn you!" she said and tried to jump at Urahara but was easily held back by Tessai who let her hang there like wet clothes on a washing line. She glared at Urahara which made him grin even more.

"I apologize for his behavior, Akatsuki-sama," Tessai said firmly.

Though Akatsuki couldn't see his expression it had an immediate effect on Urahara who waved his hands in front of him in mock defense. "Hehehe, OK OK I'm sorry," he said and grinned nervously at Tessai. Akatsuki didn't feel the least bit restrained by Tessai even though he was restraining her movements, his aura was actually very warm and defensive.

Tessai felt her relax and placed her back down on the floor carefully as if she were a doll he might accidentally break. He patted on her the head when he was satisfied and walked towards the doorway. "I shall make some tea," he said and left in a unhurried manner.

Urahara noticed Akatsuki's perplexed expression at being treated like a doll and smiled wickedly. However he thought twice about saying anything as Akatsuki was giving him the evil glare.

"So," he said as a way of breaking the uneasy silence. "Why are you here? Did Ichigo kick you out?" he said jokingly.

Akatsuki closed her eyes and smiled innocently at Urahara. "Maybe I just came here to see you," she said sweetly and tilted her head on its side.

Urahara grinned back and reached inside his coat and pulled out a small fan which he snapped open.

"Maybe, but I don't think so," he said with the fan in front of his face so that only his half shaded eyes could be seen. "You were attacked weren't you?" he said already knowing the answer.

Akatsuki's expression didn't change even though she was curious as to how he knew, she wondered if Ichigo had told him. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Urahara guessed what she was thinking and snapped the fan closed to get her attention back. "You have no idea why though do you?" he said it as a statement of truth rather then a question and was impressed with Akatsuki's neutral expression. She really did seem to jump between personalities he thought to himself, she suddenly seemed much more restrained and mature.

Akatsuki couldn't keep holding his gaze, his words were true, she was so deeply lost and confused that she knew she couldn't deny it to him. "Yes," she said simply and looked away from him, slightly flushed.

"You don't remember what you did?" he asked.

Akatsuki sighed and looked at the floor. "No," she said quietly.

"And you think I can help with that?" Urahara asked curiously.

"Heeeeeee," Akatsuki said and grinned at Urahara. "Not at all."

"Then what?" Urahara asked, wondering why she was here then, if not to ask for his help in either getting home or working out what happened to her. He snapped his fan open again and looked at Akatsuki over its brim, this time he looked more closely at her eyes and saw determination there.

"I need you to get me something." Akatsuki said.

-------------------------------------------------

"So that's the girl that Ichigo has adopted?" a deep voice said in an amused tone from behind Urahara. "She's cute."

Urahara didn't bother to turn around and just fanned himself with the fan. He grinned at hearing Yoruichi's voice. "That's her, though I'm pretty sure he hasn't adopted her yet. How was your trip?" Urahara said to his friend.

"Nothing special, but I see you've made an interesting friend while I was gone," Yoruichi said sarcastically to Urahara. "An Arrancar that is being chased by her own kind, but doesn't remember why. Makes you wonder what she is to Aizen." Yoruichi said and walked over to the table and jumped up in front of Urahara and sat in front of him, her feline eyes meeting his over the top of the fan.

"It might be my imagination, but I'm sure I've seen her before," Yoruichi said to herself and slowly stalked out of the room, intent on following Akatsuki. She decided this would be much easier if she stayed in her feline form, and besides, the girl didn't seem very observant.

"Be nice," Urahara said to her as she left the room.

"When am I ever not nice?" Yoruichi replied happily.

"When indeed," Urahara said.

-------------------------------------------------

"This is the place," Ikkaku said with indifference, in truth he was only half sure this was the place at all, his memory still blurred since the fight with the potential intruder. It was a street like so many others in town, nothing special or interesting at all. A few humans walked by them, completely unaware of their existence and Ikkaku regarded them with mild disinterest. He walked over to a crack in the pavement and knelt down above it, running his fingers through the crack

"Are you certain?" Yumichika asked, not convinced that it was the place at all. He was far more sensitive then Ikkaku when it came to spiritual energies but there was nothing left here. _'Granted, this was over 2 weeks ago, and Captain Soi Fon's unit must have been all over here, there's nothing here of use.'_

"Nah, I'm sure of it, I remember how this crack in the ground happened," Ikkaku said with much more conviction then before. A wicked smile of enjoyment crossed his face. "She swung that huge weapon of hers at me, I barely moved out its way," he said and grinned, remembering the feeling of battle he loved so much.

"So she missed you and hit the ground? That's why I hate big weapons, so cumbersome and ugly," Yumichika said and brushed his fingers through his hair.

"Hah!" Ikkaku exclaimed. "She didn't hit the ground, this gash was caused by the swing of that scythe yeah. But the blade never touched the ground."

"A spiritual attack?" Yumichika asked, his curiosity peaked slightly. His own weapon was a kido type, even though he suppressed its true nature from the other members of squad 11. After all, squad 11's ideal was that Zanpakuto should only be used for direct attacks. Yumichika hid his weapons true form most of the time but he also understood how dangerous kido weapons could be when one didn't know their potential. He wondered if Ikkaku had taken his opponent too lightly.

"I don't think so, at least, I don't remember any fancy energy attacks," Ikkaku said, wishing his memory of the fight were clearer, it was hard putting his thoughts into words. In his mind he pictured the attack, the Scythe blade arcing sharply down towards his body as he sidestepped the attack, the girl attacking mid jump, the pavement being slashed as the Scythe blade cut through the air over it. "It was like, I don't know, a shock wave rather then energy."

"Hmmm interesting, do you remember how she defeated you?" Yumichika asked cautiously as he walked over to where Ikkaku was knelt down. He looked at the slash in the pavement, he noticed the sides of the slash were perfectly smooth, as if it had cut through the stone like butter.

"The last thing I remember, is her hand reaching out towards my head, and then bam! Its all a blur till I woke up in the Seireitei," Ikkaku replied as he stood up and dusted off his kimono. "Anything?"

"Nothing we can use to find her, I'm afraid this search is probably pointless," Yumichika said cheerfully and shrugged his shoulders. It had been pointless from the start it seemed, but had had nothing better to do then play detective with Ikkaku.

-------------------------------------------------

Yoruichi stealth-fully jumped from wall to wall as she followed Akatsuki. She had heard from Urahara that Ichigo had an Arrancar under his protection and Yoruichi was curious to find out about her. She knew Ichigo could more then take care of himself and this little exertion was more for her own amusement then anything else.

_'Well she's certainly not in a hurry to be anywhere,' _Yoruichi thought to herself and grinned as much as a cat could grin. Akatsuki was taking her time in going wherever it was she was going, twice now she had simply turned around and walked the way she had came and Yoruichi started to wonder if the girl was in fact just simply lost. _'All that hair probably starves her brain, poor girl,'_ she chuckled to herself.

Akatsuki wasn't lost, well, not fully lost. It was being on the ground that was the problem. Up high she could look down at the world as it sprawled out around her, the only sounds were the wind and the faint hum of the hustle and bustle of the city below. "But Nooooooo, no we just had to walk around in our gigai today," she said to herself in a frustrated tone.

She reached out with her senses and found what she was looked for, a faint but strong reiatsu that she had come come to recognize as Ichigo's spiritual signature. With it was a less potent but far more controlled spiritual pressure that she believed was most likely Rukia. Akatsuki perceived them shift position quickly again and muttered under her breath. And of course, there was the soul that had been following her all the way from Urahara's shop. The one that looked like a black cat.

Akatsuki turned left and walked down a more secluded pathway away from human eyes. Akatsuki stopped and twiddled her hair between her fingers and she slowed her breathing.

Yoruichi stood atop the wall and watched curiously as the girl Akatsuki stood twiddling her long red hair. Yoruichi jumped silently to the floor and stalked gracefully over to where Akatsuki was stood and sat behind her waiting for her to either turn around or carry on walking. Then Yoruichi felt a movement behind her and sighed inwardly at herself for being so sloppy.

Akatsuki bent down and picked up the black cat and turned it around so that they were face to face with each other and they stared at each other. Akatsuki smiled and closed her eyes innocently. "Meow meow," she said to the black cat.

"Meow," Yoruichi said back and glared at the Arrancar.

Akatsuki's eyes narrowed but she still smiled back at the black cat. "Cats don't say meow," she said sarcastically.

Yoruichi was about to meow again when she saw a large shadow block out the light behind them. "Look out!" she shouted without hesitation as the shadow raised its powerful clawed arm into the air.

Akatsuki turned her head just as the hollow swung its claw down at her.


	13. Do I know you?

_Twilight Marionette: Sorry for the late update once again, we have been very busy over the last two weeks with guests both expected..._

_Twilight Puppeteer: And unexpected..._

_Twilight Marionette: The word is uninvited heh heh._

_Twilight Puppeteer: At least you tried to be a good hostess this time._

_Twilight Marionette: What are you implying about my social ability?_

_Twilight Puppeteer: -cough- Anyway, we'd like to thank every who reads her story and she appreciates both the compliments and the constructive criticism._

_Twilight Marionette: That i do. -waves-_

_Twilight Puppeteer: So as both an apology and for the sake of continuity this chapter is much longer then usual. Hope you don't find her first attempt at a fight scene too bad. -winks-_

_Twilight Marionette: Silence! I saw that wink!_

**_Disclaimer: No no you cant make me say it! Oh hey, that looks sharp, yes yes I see your point now, literally. I do not own Bleach or any of it themes, characters or stories._**

_Chapter 13: Do I know you?_

Akatsuki turned her head just as the giant clawed arm swung down towards her on its deadly arc. The clawed hand smashed down against the floor hard, sending cracks across the pavement and up along the walls of the alleyway. Dust flew everywhere from the force of the blow and clouds of dirt blocked out the light in the narrow alleyway. The force of the blow sent Akatsuki's gigai tumbling several feet forward to the ground where it lay crumpled like a rag doll.

Having missed its prey the hollow quickly raised its mighty arms again and smashed downwards once more, this time aiming at the gigai laying prone on the floor. Its swing impacted even harder then the first, its blood seeking battle and souls and this time it felt that it had hit something above the ground. The force of the attack sent dust flying throughout the alley in a billowing cloud of debris. Its eyes tried to focus through the dust and as the dust cleared the hollow saw its victim standing beneath its clawed hand and it roared in frustration and anger.

Akatsuki stood with her left side to the hollow, her left arm easily blocking the force of those giant fists and stood there with her left arm raised in front of her head defensively. She felt the hollows arm shake in effort to push down on her, causing the pavement around her feet to depress further and more cracks to spread out from her feet. She looked up at the hollow with a dark expression and hummed curiously at the Hollow.

The Hollow felt strange as it looked down into its victims eyes, a ring of red now encircled her pupils and it felt its arms quaver slightly.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Ichigo?" Rukia repeated and waved her hands in front of Ichigo's face to snap him out of his daydream. He suddenly seemed to be staring into space as if something had just caught his attention. She followed his eyes but he didn't seem to be looking at anything important. She stepped back from him and slapped him gently across the cheek, snapping him out of his trance.

Ichigo shook his head and looked down at Rukia in surprise. "Hey! What was that for!?" he said irritably, not expecting Rukia to suddenly slap him.

"Hey! Its not my fault you were spacing out," Rukia pointed out and crossed her arms. Ichigo looked at her curiously and she turned away from him and shook her head.

"I was?" Ichigo asked, oblivious to what had just happened.

Orihime patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. "You just stopped walking all of a sudden Kurosaki-kun," she said agreeing with Rukia without being as mean about it. Ichigo glanced at her and she smiled back. Ichigo seemed to have something on his mind over the last few weeks. He had had been attending classes as always but had seemed like something was on his mind as of late.

Ichigo looked between Rukia and Orihime and shrugged in defeat. "What were you saying again Rukia?" Ichigo asked, having not heard the last of her conversation. It had been a strange sensation, one minute he was just strolling along with Orihime and Rukia and then Rukia had slapped him. He had felt something strange which completely distracted him. _'Well, whatever it is I cant feel it now.'_

"It doesn't matter," Rukia said to be awkward and walked off ahead with her arms crossed.

"Come on!" Ichigo complained but was ignored.

Orihime patted him comfortingly again and skipped to catch up to Rukia and threw her arm around Rukia's shoulders. Ichigo ran to catch up with them and stayed two steps behind them. He felt compelled to look off in that random direction again, he was sure he had heard his name being called on the wind.

----------------------------------------------------------

"What is it?" Yumichika asked having noticed Ikkaku suddenly stop walking and turned his head towards the sun. At first Ikkaku seemed to ignore him and just as he started to walk over to him Ikkaku turned to face him with a evil grin on his face. "Hmm?"

It had been brief instant, like electricity going through his mind but he had definitely felt it all right. That feeling, it was the same as before. Ikkaku reached his hand up to his forehead to quell the burst of pain from within his skull. "She's here!" he said excitedly to Yumichika who returned his grin.

Yumichika wasn't sure what had just happened but he trusted Ikkaku's instincts, especially when it came to things like this. He reached up and brushed his fingers through his hair dramatically. "Shall we go then?" he said in his smooth casual voice.

"Just remember, she's mine!" Ikkaku said and ran off in the direction he had been looking, not even waiting for Yumichika to answer or even look back to see if he was following.

Yumichika smiled to himself. "It goes without saying," he said to himself and ran off after Ikkaku, sharing in his excitement.

----------------------------------------------------------

Yoruichi had swiftly jumped out of danger as soon as she had felt Akatsuki's grip on her lighten when she had called out her warning of the hollows attack. Looking down on it she could see it was a strong hollow, with muscle bound arms longer then its legs, making it resemble a large ape of some kind, however its mask resembled some kind of prehistoric monster. Yoruichi guessed that the hollow had been able to get so close without either of them realizing because they had been concentrating on each other. "She's got pretty good reactions," Yoruichi said to herself as she looked down at Akatsuki.

The hollow roared in anger and released the pressure of its attack so that it could try again, swiftly lifting its powerful arms to strike down on the Arrancar again. The moment the pressure was released Akatsuki leaped forwards, spinning in the air before a powerful mid air circle kick exploded into the hollows chest, the force sending it flying away from her and smashing heavily into the street beyond.

Yoruichi was impressed by the kick, it was a move she herself could use and knew that it took a fair amount of skill to pull it off in such a small space. However, Yoruichi was less impressed by Akatsuki's landing and cringed as Akatsuki's foot slipped as it hit the ground and sent her falling onto her bottom. Yoruichi jumped down and slinked her way over to stand in front of Akatsuki who was sat rubbing her behind. "Your balance leaves a lot to be desired," Yoruichi said sarcastically.

"Oh be quiet!" Akatsuki complained as she massaged her back. She met Yoruichi'sgaze and blushed in embarrassment and looked away and huffed. She got to her feet and dusted off her white kimono which was covered in grey dust from the first attack. The attack had taken her by surprise, the thought that a base hollow could get so close without her sensing it was strange, even if she had been concentrating on the Shinigami cat. She brushed the dust from her hair and sighed heavily and walked over to her gigai and stood it up right. She was about to speak to the cat again when she felt the hollows anger flare up and she quickly forced her way inside her gigai.

Yoruichi felt it too and quickly turned around to see the hollow forcing its way to its feet and roaring in the direction of the alleyway. "So your going to finish it off," Yoruichi said confidently.

Akatsuki walked over to Yoruichi and bent down and picked her up again, much to Yoruichi's annoyance. "No," she said in a happy voice.

"What are you going to do then?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

Akatsuki closed her eyes and smiled innocently even as the hollow started to charge towards her. "Run!" Akatsuki shouted playfully and ran off in the opposite direction, with Yoruichi held tightly in her arms.

"Why are we running!?" Yoruichi complained vigorously. This was not what she had planned at all. Not only had Akatsuki not been fooled by her feline form, but she was being forced to run away from a weak base Hollow. Even more strange was that an Arrancar was running away from it too.

"Because its chasing us!" Akatsuki answered back happily, she looked back behind her to make sure the hollow was still following.

"Its only chasing you because your running away from it!" Yoruichi complained.

Yoruichi was about to complain again when she noticed Akatsuki look over her shoulder again. _'I see, she wants it to chase her, that's why she's running away. She's trying to get it a area where less people can be become involved. Without a Zanpakuto on her she cant cut its mask in two and to use use a Cero in such a area would kill a lot of innocent people,' _Yoruichi considered to herself and nodded approvingly. And then wondered why a Arrancar would concern itself about protecting the living.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Rukia?" Orihime asked happily.

"Hmm?" Rukia responded with a frown. She was trying to give Ichigo the cold shoulder which wasn't easy with Orihime beaming at her so happily.

Orihime brought her finger up to her chin as if in deep thought and hummed. "Kurosaki-kun has been distracted lately, what's going on?" she asked innocently.

Rukia sighed, it was so like Orihime to worry about everyone else, even after what had happened to her in the past. "Ask Ichigo, he's right behind us," she answered sarcastically.

Orihime bent over Rukia and whispered into her ear conspiratorially. "It would just be a secret between us girls," she hissed in Rukia's ear and looked from left to right suspiciously.

"I'm right here you know," Ichigo pointed out sarcastically but it looked like he was being ignored.

"I don't know," Rukia said flatly. She wasn't sure what Orihime was after but she wasn't careless enough to mention Akatsuki if Ichigo hadn't mentioned her yet, she could completely understand why Ichigo would keep that to himself. He was in a awkward enough situation as it was. And despite her weird personality Akatsuki was quite good at making herself a secret. "Maybe he has a girl friend," Rukia said evilly and grinned at the sound of Ichigo gagging.

"Rukia!" Ichigo gagged.

"A girl friend? Is that true Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked excitedly. Before giving Ichigo a chance to answer she put her chin in her hands, feigning deep thought again.

"Orihime don't listen to her," Ichigo tried to say but was cut off by Orihime's rambling.

"That would explain why he's been so distant lately, yes indeed," she said excitedly to herself and nodded her head in agreement with herself. "So Kurosaki was trying to keep her a secret, I must follow him without him noticing!" She hit a fist into her hand and nodded with determination.

"Orihime I'm still right here," Ichigo said in a depressed tone and shook his head. He then slowly turned his head towards Rukia and shot her a evil glare since he was sure she was very amused with herself.

Rukia grinned to herself evilly and felt Ichigo's glare which made her shiver, but it didn't ruin her amusement. He wouldn't ignore her next time.

"Ignore her Orihime, she's just messing with me," Ichigo said still glaring at Rukia's back. Rukia turned around and failed to surprise him with her evil grin.

"Awwww, I thought she was being serious," Orihime said in a disappointed tone and patted him on the back.

Rukia was about to start laughing when a familiar beeping caught every ones attention and she reached inside her uniform and fished out her phone. She flipped it open and read off the information in her head and flipped it closed. "Ichigo!"

"Yeah, what is it?" he said sarcastically.

"There's reports of a large Hollow down town," she said with a serious expression and tone of voice, the joke over.

Ichigo nodded to Rukia and turned to Orihime. "Lets go! See you later Orihime!" Ichigo said as he ran after Rukia who had already gone off ahead of him.

Orihime watched them run off down the way they had come and waved at their backs, Rukia turning to wave back and Ichigo just grinned back at her. "Be careful Kurosaki-kun!" she shouted after Ichigo and smiled as he disappeared from sight among the people in the street. "But I am glad, that Rukia was only joking," she said to herself and laughed nervously.

----------------------------------------------------------

Urahara pawed his way through some very old and dusty boxes that had not seen a dust cloth in many years, even decades. In fact he had even forgot about this room until Akatsuki had asked him for a favour. He found a likely looking box and opened it up, careful not to breath in any of the decade old dust that he had disturbed. He clawed his way through its contents but did not find what he was looking for and resealed the box before sliding it back into place.

Urahara fanned himself before selecting a box at random with his cane and pulling it out from were it was tightly wedged. He looked inside and again there was nothing which he could use. "Haaaaaa, this is hard work, any luck Tessai?" he asked as he fanned himself again and covered his mouth away from the dust.

"Nothing yet," Tessai answered plainly. He too was looking through the old boxes for the item that Urahara was searching for, however he was far more efficient and practical about it and worked like a machine set to its task. "Why does miss Akatsuki want such a strange item?" Tessai asked curiously.

"I didn't ask," Urahara answered happily, not letting a small detail like that cause him undue concern. "The customer is always right after all," he added on as an after thought with his usual wry smile.

"I see," Tessai answered in his usual stoic tones. "This would be easier if you weren't picking boxes at random," Tessai said in a stern voice but without any hint of sarcasm.

"I'm insulted!" Urahara said feigning insult, "You'll hurt my feelings Tessai."

"I find that hard to believe," Tessai said seriously as he easily reached up for the boxes on the higher shelves and selected the next one in line. "Where is Yoruichi-sama, I thought I saw her earlier, was she not due to return today?" Tessai asked curiously.

Urahara smiled to himself. "Oh, I'm sure she's busy with our newest acquaintance."

---------------------------------------------------------

"I could run much faster if you just put me down!" Yoruichi complained as she was bounced up and down by Akatsuki carrying her.

"Oh be quiet!" Akatsuki snapped back. Akatsuki didn't bother to turn her head, her senses alone told her that the hollow had no intention of giving up and its aura was red with anger. But it was strange she thought, that a low level hollow would dare attack an Arrancar. Even a weak Arrancar like her who was no good at fighting was far too strong for it to deal with. Yet it seemed so determined. She wondered if the hollow was being attracted to Yoruichi'sspirit energy but decided that it was unlikely it could even sense Yoruichi as a Shinigami never mind her reiatsu.

Akatsuki suddenly cleared the densely packed buildings out to an open area. She quickly looked around for any sign that people were here but found none. In the centre of the square was a water fountain gently gushing water. "Awww pretty," Akatsuki said and walked over towards the fountain, acting as if she had forgotten the hollow was still chasing her.

Yoruichi climbed onto Akatsuki's shoulder and after brushing some red hair of her face looked around for the hollow and saw it barrelling towards them from behind. "You might want to deal with this first," Yoruichi said with only minor concern and climbed down from Akatsuki's shoulder and ran off to the side of the water fountain.

Akatsuki sighed to herself and raised her left arm so that her hand was level with her chest and half closed her fingers. In the space in between her fingers a black and red sphere of negative energy materialised and rapidly expanded so that it filled her hand, red tendrils of electric like Cero energy leaping from the spaces between her fingers. She turned and looked sideways towards the hollow which was now almost upon her, lifting its huge arms together to smash down on her.

Just as the hollow swung its clawed hands downwards Akatsuki flashed of sight of the hollow, the only noise it heard was that of static. Its arm smashed down into the ground, cracks spreading out in all directions. "I'm sorry, I really am sorry," said a kind but sad voice from behind it. It reared its body and roared in fury and started to run towards her.

Akatsuki pointed her arm towards the hollow and opened her fingers. The Cero blast roared forwards and crashed into the hollows body, its body turning to nothingness as it faded from vision, its eyes the last thing to fade from existence.

"I'm so sorry," Akatsuki repeated and brought her hand to her heart, she closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly. She opened her eyes after a brief moment and began to walk over to Yoruichi. She looked over to where Yoruichi had been standing but she was no longer there. Then much too late to flee Akatsuki felt the reiatsu of two shinigami rapidly approaching her, and one of them felt familiar but it wasn't Ichigo or Rukia. Akatsuki spun on the spot to face the two shinigami that had arrived from behind her.

"Hey," Ikkaku said with a evil grin spread across his face, his weapon resting on his shoulder. "Its you alright," he said as he flipped his Zanpakuto off his shoulders and caught it so that it was pointing at Akatsuki. Ikkaku guessed that this was his lucky day after all, now that he could see her he saw sure this was the girl he had fought before.

"Its me? What's me?" Akatsuki said and pointed at herself and smiled innocently. The tall bald man seemed to know her but he didn't look familiar to her at all. She squinted her eyes at him and tried to remember if she had ever met him before, it was only as his grin expanded that it clicked in her head. She had met him before. "Its you!" she shouted back at Ikkaku and pointed at him accusingly.

"Looks like you two know each other," Yumichika said sarcastically and walked off to the side of them both, fully intending to stay out of any fight that broke out.

"I know you! I know you!" Akatsuki shouted at Ikkaku again making him stressed out and a vein started to throb on his forehead.

"Damn right!" Ikkaku said walked closer towards her.

Akatsuki backed off slightly but didn't even think of running away. She was sure now, this was someone she knew, she just wasn't sure why. He might know why she couldn't remember what she had done to make her a traitor, or at the very least, why she had missing memories of the time before she woke up in the Kurosaki clinic. "What do you want from me?" she said defensively.

Though she backed off from him she didn't try to run and even though she spoke defensively she didn't show any sign of being scared or intimated of him. That was good Ikkaku thought to himself. "I'm here for pay back!" he said and his eyes narrowed as he focused on her.

"Pay back? From me? What did I do to you?" Akatsuki said confused and pointed at herself.

"Don't play dumb," Ikkaku said grinning.

"You defeated him," Yumichika added sarcastically from behind Akatsuki.

Ikkaku's forehead bulged as a vein nearly burst. "She didn't defeat me! She used a dirty trick to escape!" Ikkaku growled and glared past Akatsuki at Yumichika who smiled back at his friend innocently.

Akatsuki turned to Yumichika and pointed back at Ikkaku. "I defeated him?" she said with honest innocence.

"Shut up!" Ikkaku shouted at them both.

"How ugly, a man should accept defeat gracefully," Yumichika said mockingly. Ikkaku glared at him and he almost looked like he had forgotten his reason for being here.

Akatsuki turned back to Ikkaku and pointed at him accusingly and waved her arms about childishly. "You remember! You remember! Tell me what happened?" she asked excitedly.

Ikkaku was taken by surprise at her outburst. "What are you talking about?" he asked in a stressed voice.

"Tell me, what did I do to you, tell me please!" Akatsuki continued to plead enthusiastically with Ikkaku and was almost bouncing up and down happily.

"You OK?" he said confused.

"Tell me please, tell me what happened, what did I do to you, its important!" Akatsuki carried on excitedly.

Ikkaku had had enough and in one swift motion drew his Zanpakuto. "Draw you sword girl, were gonna have some fun," he said in an almost growl of a voice. She looked back at him and scratched her head in embarrassment.

"I don't have it with me, heh heh," Akatsuki said and laughed to herself.

"I hate unfair fights, ruins my fun," he said disappointingly. "Don't suppose your some kind of crazy skilled martial artist?" he asked hopefully.

"Sorry Shinigami-sama," Akatsuki apologised and shrugged her shoulders

"Then sorry about this kid," Ikkaku said honestly and began to charge her, however a flash of light flew past his face, forcing him to jump backwards defensively. The spinning object slammed into the ground just in front of Akatsuki, the light shone from its over sized blade. Ikkaku recognised that blade straight away, it was Kurosaki Ichigo's weapon, Zangetsu.

---------------------------------------------------------

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed as he jumped from one building to the next with Rukia and Yoruichi just behind him. "So she was the hollow you picked up?" he asked back at Rukia.

"I don't think so," Rukia said with confidence, "The signal was that of a large hollow, not a powerful signature like an Arrancar."

"Indeed, we were attacked by a large hollow and Akatsuki led it away from the populated area using herself as bait," Yoruichi added on. "However it seems that you two weren't the only ones to pick up the signal."

"What are you gonna do Ichigo, things will get very complicated if you defend her from Shinigami," Rukia pointed out seriously.

"I don't know!" Ichigo growled under his breath "I'll think of something."

---------------------------------------------------------

Akatsuki was just as surprised as Ikkaku and looked at the large blade cautiously. She knew this blade, she had seen it before on the night she had first met Ichigo. She quickly turned in the direction that it had come from and saw Ichigo and Rukia stood with Yumichika. Ichigo grinned at her confidently.

"Now she has a Zanpakuto," Ichigo said and grinned at them both.

"Ichigo!" Ikkaku exclaimed.

Akatsuki looked at Ichigo calmly and understood at once. There was no way for him to intervene in this problem without putting himself against the shinigami. It was all he could do to throw his weapon to her. She looked slightly to his side and saw Rukia standing next to Ichigo. Rukia nodded ever so slightly to Akatsuki and Akatsuki looked away from her back to Ichigo. "Guess that makes things a little more even," Akatsuki said and smiled at Ikkaku who reacted by grinning.

"You think you can use that thing?" he said and nodded to Zangetsu. He wondered why Ichigo had thrown her his Zanpakuto but didn't spend very long wondering, she was right, at least now their rematch would be a bit more equal. He would just have to suppress using his Zanpakuto's greater powers.

"Fight?" Akatsuki said and pointed to herself. "Me? Oh no no no, I'm not here to fight you, I just want to know what I did to you that night," Akatsuki said and laughed quietly to herself, feigning embarrassment.

"Huh!?" Ikkaku snarled. "So your going to just run away, is that it? Even after Kurosaki Ichigo has thrown you his sword!"

"Is that an option here?" she said to herself and brought her hand to her chin in thought. She caught Ikkaku's glare and shivers ran up her spine. "Or I could just stay here and play with you heh heh," she said and scratched her head. She really didn't remember fighting this man, but she really didn't have any other leads to follow. And he seemed so certain of it that it actually gave her a little confidence.

Akatsuki grinned back at him and separated from her gigai and reached out her hand towards Zangetsu's hilt and wrapped her hand lightly around it. Even with such slight contact she could feel the blade trying to repel her as it didn't recognise her as its owner but at the same time it felt as if it were calling out to her to pick in up.

"If I win you tell me what happened that night!" Akatsuki suddenly burst out, taking both Ikkaku and Yumichika off guard and they looked at each other in confusion. "I need to know!"

Ikkaku's expression remained impassive for a few moments and then a smile slowly spread across his lips. He realized that her memory was missing just like his was and that gave her a reason to take this fight seriously, even if she acted as if she had no stomach for it. She didn't look like the fighter type but he knew better then to judge an opponent by how they looked. Even though her body language was all over the place and she acted like a child, her eyes had not left his own the whole time he had first looked into them. "That's fine with me," he said and took up his fighting stance and flashed towards her.

As Akatsuki tightened her fingers around the hilt she connected with the Zanpakuto and thoughts not her own flowed through her mind. "Your name, is Zangetsu?" Time seemed to slow down for a moment and she caught flashed of images in her head. A man dressed in a long black flowing coat of darkness, a strange blue sideways city and Ichigo, or at least it looked like Ichigo but had eyes she knew all too well. The images relented as soon as they had come and time seemed to flow again.

Ikkaku had launched straight into the attack with a swift shunpo followed through with a downward slice. Akatsuki was able to raise Zangetsu just in time to block the swing, sending sparks flying as the blade impacted against each other. He saw confusion in Akatsuki's eyes but didn't let that slow him down, directly following his first by pulling back and quickly launching into a sideways slicing motion. Again Akatsuki was able to move Zangetsu just in time to block the force of the attack, however this time his action pushed her backwards.

Akatsuki let Ikkaku's attack push her away from him, giving her valuable distance in which to react to his next attack which came almost a heartbeat later. His wild but accurate swings kept coming and coming, each one forcing her backwards with every hit. Zangetsu felt so heavy and it was all she could do to react fast enough to block Ikkaku's attacks. She knew what she wanted to do and how to move but she just couldn't do it with Ichigo's heavy, cumbersome sword.

"This isn't good," Yoruichi said to herself beside Ichigo.

"Akatsuki isn't a natural fighter," Rukia said in turn.

Ichigo didn't say anything, instead he watched Akatsuki struggle to move Zangetsu. He could tell that her reactions were good, as was her speed, but Zangetsu was unfamiliar to her.

"She isn't able to wield Zangetsu like Ichigo can, after all, its not her Zanpakuto," Yoruichi replied to Rukia.

Rukia wondered if she should have offered her sword instead but there was no proof it would have been any different than what was happening now.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Ikkaku roared with each swing, blood-lust and excitement raising through his body like fire. He loved this sensation more then anything else in the world. Ikkaku took a leaping downwards swing at Akatsuki which she barely managed to guard against, the force sending her falling backwards.

Akatsuki fell backwards from the downward force of Ikkaku's attack. Her body felt so slow and sluggish, even without Ichigo's Zangetsu. Ikkaku followed through with another volley of swings, not allowing her to gain her footing back and each attack threatened to knock her down. Sweat started to flow through her brow and her hands felt like they were breaking. _'Why!? Why do i feel so weak already?'_

Ikkaku grinned and ended his volley with an unexpected feint and jumped behind Akatsuki and tried to swing his sword down from behind her. However Akatsuki was able to swing fast enough on the spot to block his attack but he kept the pressure up on her guard and leaned his face in towards her mockingly. "I don't remember you being so weak," Ikkaku said evilly, hoping to goad her into breaking her guard.

He was right, this wasn't the way she fought, not even close, she hated using swords. Then Akatsuki worked something out and a smile played across her lips and her eyes filled with a determination she hadn't had a moment ago. She felt the weight in her hands again and re tightenedher grip on Zangetsu.

Her expression confused Ikkaku and he suddenly felt her resistance fail, his blade pushing swiftly forward as Akatsuki pulled away from the fight and spun around Ikkaku with a spinning flip motion. However Ikkaku wasn't going to fall for his own move and quickly swung his blade out behind him to where she would be. But he felt no resistance of either sword or flesh. As the movement of his sword arm brought him around to face where Akatsuki should have been he found no one there. He quickly turned his head to look along his sword arm but his reactions weren't fast enough to dodge Akatsuki's kick to the face which crunched against his nose.

Akatsuki had spun around him and expected him to swing straight for her. As his Zanpakuto came around she leaped on to its blade and balanced on it as it finished its movement. She kicked Ikkaku straight in the face as he turned his head. The force of the kick made Ikkaku lose his balance and stumble backwards and Akatsuki leaped forwards and swung Ichigo's sword straight down at Ikkakuwho was able to block the blow, however he was already stumbling and the sheer weight of Zangetsu combined with Akatsuki's downward speed knocked him backwards to the ground and he rolled defensively away.

"Oh my," Yumichika said out loud to himself as Ikkaku was knocked away from Akatsuki.

"Ikkaku, was knocked down?" Rukia said in disbelief.

Akatsuki looked at Zangetsu as if she had never seen it before. She realized its weight was useful if used correctly, but her arms were already tired from holding it. She was used to wielding Hakumei who was far lighter.

Ikkaku flipped to his feet and swung his sword casually onto his shoulder and wiped the blood from his nose. His grimace turned into an overjoyed grin as he looked at the blood on his hand. "Now that's more like it!" he said happily, his eyes almost sparkling. "Nice move kid," he added on with a grin.

Akatsuki brought Zangetsu up and levelled it straight at Ikkaku and smiled back. She then swiftly took Zangetsu in both hands and ran towards Ikkaku. "I'm not a kid! Old man!"

"Who are you called a bald man!" Ikkaku roared and guarded her attack, their blades swinging in and out against each other in a intense flurry of blows, sparks flying frantically with each movement.

"I didn't say bald man," Akatsuki replied sarcastically.

"You said it again!" Ikkaku shouted.

"Oh my," Yumichika commented to himself and shook his head in mild disbelief. Ikkaku seemed to be really getting into it, even though he was having to lower his power to the Arrancars level to get a fair fight. He looked across to Ichigo and Rukia and smiled slyly and walked over to them, neither noticing until he coughed to get their attention. Ichigo turned to face him, though to Yumichika it was obvious he would rather watch the fight, but for what reason he wondered.

"You know her don't you?" Yumichika asked casually, making sure he didn't sound overly interested.

Ichigo stared him straight in the eyes and wondered if he really knew or was just guessing.

"I'll take that as a yes," Yumichika carried on and turned back to the fight. Ichigo didn't say anything and just followed suit and turned back to Akatsuki who was starting to struggle again under the weight of Zangetsu.

Ikkaku parried Akatsuki and ran his sword along the edge of Zangetsu taking advantage of there being no hilt. Akatsuki reacted by swinging Zangetsu out in a wide arc, throwing Ikkaku's sword off. Ikkaku grinned and instead of trying to bring his sword back in front of him he kicked forward, catching Akatsuki just under the ribcage.

The force pushed Akatsuki backwards but she didn't lose her footing, slamming the end of Zangetsu into the ground to slow herself down.

Ikkaku swung his sword onto his shoulder and grinning evilly at Akatsuki. "Come on, is that all you can do girl?" he said mockingly and launched straight towards her with shunpo, aiming to move too fast for her to react after being winded.

Akatsuki saw him move but wasn't able to reacted fast enough and was barely able to raise Zangetsu in defence. The force of the two Zanpakuto colliding sent Akatsuki flying backwards again. She raised Zangetsu in front of her again and felt her arms trembling under the weight of the Ichigo's weapon. Her vision started to blur slightly and she wiped her eyes using the sleeve of her white kimono while keeping one eye on Ikkaku.

Ikkaku could tell she was nearly done, he could see clear as day that her arms were trembling and her breathing had become ragged. She really wasn't a natural fighter he thought to himself, already her stamina was waning and she was on the verge of losing a grip on Ichigo's sword. Yet she still stared him down with those golden eyes, so full of life even though her body was giving up around her. Those were good eyes.

"Lets end this, we both know the next attack is going to take you down," Ikkaku said with neither mocking or concern, it was the voice of a professional fighter. Akatsuki's body seemed to give up and her grip on Zangetsu failed, the blade falling away from her right hand and only the lightest of grips from her left. Her head bowed in defeat and her hair fell over her face.

"I'm sorry sister, I'm just not like you," Akatsuki said to herself sarcastically. Akatsuki stared at Ikkaku from under her hair. Her breathing seemed so loud and slow. She felt a familiar sensation starting to flow through her and she smiled to herself. A ring of red surrounded her pupils.

Ichigo attempted to move forward but Rukia grabbed his sleeve to stop him. "Damn it Rukia, I cant just watch her die!" he nearly shouted.

Rukia gave him a harsh look and shook her head and turned back to Akatsuki, realizing Ichigo hadn't noticed anything, which was just like him. "No Ichigo look," she said and pointed towards Akatsuki.

Ikkaku pointed his Zanpakuto straight at Akatsuki and launched himself straight at her using shunpo knowing this time she could no longer react fast enough. Then suddenly she vanished from sight, all he heard was a static noise and suddenly his shoulder erupted in pain. He reached the end of his step and gripped his shoulder. He brought his hand away and looked at the blood dripping from his fingers. He spun around but this time he was the one who couldn't reacted fast enough and barely managed to guard as Akatsuki slammed Zangetsu down against his sword, the force cracking the ground below him. She pushed him backwards with the force and jumped at him and again slammed Zangetsu down towards him.

Ichigo watched as Akatsuki jumped at Ikkaku again, the force of the two Zanpakuto's suspending Akatsuki mid jump, her red reiatsu flowing over the edge of Zangetsu. Ikkaku grinned and his own reiatsu pushed against Akatsuki's. The explosive force slammed them far apart from each other, their feet trailing dust as their feet scrapped across the ground. They both came to rest facing each other. Ikkaku stared into those golden eyes which were slowly being polluted by red and remembered what had happened that night and felt his body relax slightly

Akatsuki's spiritual energy whipped and cracked around her like lightning. Ikkaku's reiatsu shot up in return and distorted the air around him as he took up his stance for one last big attack. Akatsuki gripped Zangetsu in both hands and raised it out in front of her. Ikkaku grinned happily and Akatsuki smiled cutely back. They both flashed towards each other, both coming back into sight just as their blades met in an storm of red and blue energy which expanded outwards till neither could be seen and it exploded outwards with a great burst of reiatsu.


	14. Red and White

**_Twilight Marionette: Thankyou for the lovely reviews, it all helps me to teach myself._**

**_Twilight Puppeteer: Heh, you seem to be in such a good mood today._**

**_Twilight Marionette: Hai!_**

**_Twilight Puppeteer: Well thats good to hear I guess..._**

**_Twilight Marionette: -Nods furiously-_**

**_Twilight Puppeteer: I wont ask._**

**_Twilight Marionette: -Walks away quietly-_**

**_Twilight Puppeteer: Hmmmm? Huh!? Wait! Get back here you ingrate! Your going tp skip the disclaimer arnt you!_**

**_Twilight Marionette: -Run's off-_**

**_Chapter 14: Red and white_**

Ichigo shielded his eyes against the bright light that erupted all around Ikkaku and Akatsuki, the ground around them scorched and blackened. "Akatsuki," he said to himself, slightly worried.

Ikkaku's eyes burned with blood lust and excitement as he looked into Akatsuki's eyes, which were slowly being polluted by that crimson red, her expression was a kind hearted smile. Their swords pressed firmly against each other, neither giving way under the weight of the other. Energy leaped and burst from the blades as if they growled at each other. "This is more like it!" Ikkaku roared as he put a lot more weight behind his blade and pressed forwards. He grinned as his strength over came hers and she was pushed back.

Akatsuki released the pressure on Ikkaku and allowed him to push her backwards, the force sending her several feet away from him. Akatsuki spun Zangetsu around with one hand and let it come to rest on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and smiled at Ikkaku.

Ikkaku didn't drop his guard, even through she had, he wasn't going to take her for granted anymore now that he had an entertaining fight on his hands. She just smiled back at him which unnerved him slightly. Then he noticed something else that had changed about her, her hair was starting to change color too. From the roots on her head her hair was slowly turning golden, as if dye were slowly leaking through her hair and guessed it was connected to her eyes. There was something very different about her and it wasn't just the color of her features. He jumped forward in a wild but accurate flurry of swings and thrusts.

Akatsuki didn't bring Zangetsu down from her shoulder and instead gracefully stepped out of the way of Ikkaku's swings one at a time, her feet danced across the floor in light graceful movements.

Ikkaku grunted as he missed again and again, it wasn't that she was moving faster then his attacks, it was more like she knew where each one of his attacks were going to be and simply moved away before he had even started to swing at her. It was frustrating.

Yumichika hummed to himself and smiled. "How very graceful and elegant," he said more to himself then anyone else. He admired the way she was fighting, no wasted movement and simply but effective steps. In fact, to him it seemed that her steps were so light that her feet were barely touching the ground.

"Whoa, I've never seen her fight before, she's really fast," Rukia said in genuine respect.

Yoruichi, who had jumped onto her shoulder shook her head in disagreement. "She isn't moving any faster then she was before," she said stoically.

"Then what?" Rukia started to say but was cut off by Yumichika.

"Its more like she's predicting Ikkaku's attacks and avoiding them ahead of time," Yumichika said, his attention not leaving Ikkaku for a moment. He hoped Ikkaku would see it in time before she could use it against him.

Ikkaku swung at Akatsuki again and then quickly reversed the direction of his sword after the swing reached its furthest point, pulling off a double slash to try and catch her off guard. Akatsuki stepped away from both attacks with very little effort and jumped backwards away from Ikkaku. She smiled at Ikkaku and closed her eyes, leaving herself wide open to attack.

Ikkaku wasn't so reckless as to try and take advantage of such an opening and stood back in a defensive stance, his eyes never leaving hers, closed or not. "You think I'll fall for such a obvious trick!" Ikkaku roared.

Akatsuki smiled back at him and rested Zangetsu on her shoulder, its blade hanging over her back. "Guess I'll attack you then, Shinigami-sama," she said happily.

Akatsuki ran in a curve towards Ikkaku with Zangetsu held loosely in her left hand, its blade trailing only inches from the ground. Akatsuki's reiatsu causing a trail of dust as the tip of Zangetsu raced over the floor.

Ikkaku followed suit and charged straight towards her. He raised his blade to swing down at her as they came close together, however her eyes being closed made it harder to predict her intentions.

As Akatsuki and Ikkaku were almost on top of each other she lifted Zangetsu up to block Ikkaku's swing. Instead of keeping the pressure up against Ikkaku she released it almost immediately, throwing Ikkaku ever so slightly off balance. She spun around and slipped behind him and caught Ikkaku in the side of the face as he twisted his body around defensively with the back of her hand.

Ikkaku withstood the blow and gripped hold of her wrist forcefully before she could pull it away from him and twisted her wrist. As Akatsuki raised Zangetsu to strike down at him he suddenly dropped onto one knee and using Akatsuki's wrist pulled her towards him and thrust his other palm forward and slammed it into her stomach with great force.

The force of Ikkaku's palm forced the air from her lungs and winded her, Zangetsu coming loose from her grip. She felt the reiatsu Ikkaku had wrapped around his fist travel through her body and a burning sensation as it left through her back like invisible lightning. She winced in pain and let Zangetsu fall to the ground behind her.

"Heh!" Ikkaku sneered and grinned at Akatsuki's pained expression. Expecting her to drop to her knees he realized that his palm thrust didn't have the impact that it should have done. He raised a eye brow curiously. Akatsuki's expression was a mixture of pain and, strangely enough, confusion.

"Why? Why!?" Akatsuki said, her voice showing her pain. It had happened so fast, without warning. Her reflexes failed her and her vision started to go black. '_Why? Why cant I move? I couldn't, avoid, it. Why?' _The crimson that had spread across her iris's like water started to fade, revealing the liquid gold color that her eyes should be. She felt light headed and breathless but not from Ikkaku's palm thrust. "He he, I guess I cant win this fight after all," Akatsuki said depressingly and smiled weakly at Ikkaku.

Taking little notice of her words Ikkaku pulled his fist back for another, move powerful blow to fully defeat her.

The instant the pressure from her chest relented Akatsuki used sonido to jump backwards, the force freeing her wrist from Ikkaku who was forced to let go or be dragged along the ground. She stopped clumsily and had to fight the urge to faint. Her vision was blurring and her body felt so sickly. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around a thick white bandage strand from Zangetsu's hilt which she subtly pulled. Zangetsu flew towards her and she caught it in her left hand.

Ikkaku stood up slowly and carefully and did not feel the need to take a fighting stance, he could see that his blow had had more effect on her then he had first realized, which was strange, since he was sure that most of the force of his attack had somehow been wasted. He grinned at her menacingly.

"But I wont give up! I can't! Even if I can't win, even if I'm weak. I, I don't want to lose to you!" Akatsuki said with conviction, even though she felt her legs shacking and her head moments from fainting.

Ikkaku swung his sword down from his shoulder and took up his fighting stance. "That's more like it! Come on! Show me your conviction!" he snarled and smiled satisfyingly at her.

Akatsuki took up Zangetsu in both hands and closed her eyes. She gathered every last drop of her reiatsu and forced it around Zangetsu.

Ikkaku watched as she closed as eyes and summoned up what remained of her reiatsu into Ichigo's sword. Red lightning, edged with black light covered the blade. Through it looked similar to the attack that she had used when her eyes started to change color, he could tell that this attack really was everything she had left, he could see it in her pained expression. He collected his reiatsu into his sword as well until it glowed and distorted the air around it. They both flashed out of sight and reappeared a hundred meters apart, high above the ground.

Akatsuki forced her eyes open and stared straight into Ikkaku's glowing golden eyes.

Then both flashed towards each other, coming back into view mere meters apart, their blades screeching towards each other. As they made contact, for the briefest of moments the sky turned dark and red and a thin Cero colored line seemed to cut the sky clean in two. Then as soon as it had happened everything returned to normal and 2 figures fell from the sky, like a black and red flame they feel towards the city below them.

----------------------------------------------

Inside the crater the two figures lay head to head as smoke and dust moved around them in a weak vortex. Ikkaku lay staring at the sun, its brightness causing him to shield his eyes with the back of his hand. A drop of blood hit his face and looked at his hand, blood covered and trembling for exertion. He grinned to himself with satisfaction and let his hand fall away from his face to the floor and felt it hit something soft, he twisted his head to see that he was resting on Akatsuki's hair. He heard a strange noise behind him and twisted his head slightly in its direction.

Akatsuki's head lay inches from Ikkaku's and her world was spinning. She couldn't help but breath heavily, all of her strength long since gone it was all she could do to laugh to herself.

"Guess I don't get to find out, huh," she said to herself out loud.

Ikkaku grinned and grunted at her comment. "What the hell are you talking about?" he said in a serious tone of voice.

"Heh heh I guess I lost," she said weakly but in a happy voice. Even though she had lost the fight, it didn't upset her, if anything she felt just a little bit better and she closed her eyes and smiled.

Ikkaku tried to stand up but he felt his strength was already expended. "You didn't lose anything," he said in a serious tone.

Akatsuki laughed kindly and shook her head in disagreement. "Mhmm mhmm I cant stand up, I don't think I can even move anymore," she said happily.

Ikkaku laughed to himself. "Neither can I," he said sarcastically. In truth he could have used his Zanpakuto and defeated her relatively easily but had deliberately restricted his own powers down to his opponents level to get a fair fight. He had failed to defeat her and this made him happy, even though she had failed to defeat him in turn, that last attack taking them both down. He forced himself to sit up and held his head to fight off a sudden feeling of dizziness. He twisted his body to look at Akatsuki, even though she was unable to move she had suffered a lot less physical injury then he had. She turned her head to look at him with that annoyingly childish smile. "I'll tell you what I remember," he said and looked back in front of himself. He reached down and scooped up some dust into his hand.

Akatsuki's smile faded and she twisted her head to face away from Ikkaku. "But I lost," she said simply.

Ikkaku released his fingers and let the dust slip between the gaps and watched as the gentle breeze carried the dust away. In the distance he could sense Ichigo and the others heading over towards them and he sighed. "You didn't lose jack!" he said harshly but not with malice. "We were fighting, yeah, bet that surprises you. When I found you in the worldd of the living it wasn't what I was expecting, I mean, you weren't what I was expecting," he said uncertainly, his memory still fuzzy on the subject.

"What do you mean?" Akatsuki asked curiously.

"When I found you, you were already hurt, like you had already been in one hell of a fight," Ikkaku said.

"I was hurt?" A pang of heartache ran through her chest at his words and she gripped the front of her kimono tightly, it was a awful sensation. She felt a strange feeling of both guilt and anger at his words but she couldn't remember why.

"Your right arm had been hurt pretty badly and your head was bleeding from just above your forehead," Ikkaku said slowly as he pulled the faded memories into shape in his head. "You were covered in blood, no idea if it was all yours or not. You had this lifeless look in your eyes. There was no way I could bring myself to attack someone who looked so beat up but orders were orders so I attacked you. Heh!"

Akatsuki smiled and opened her eyes again, the ring of red was fully gone and with it she felt as if she just wanted to sleep.

"You weren't as hurt as you looked heh! You and that huge scythe were pretty damn fast, I remember bits and pieces but I think I was winning since you started the fight half dead. You jumped back and then leaped high into the air and came down at me with a huge sweeping motion of your scythe which I was barely able to block. Instead of pulling away from me you, kinda, reached out with your hand as if you were trying to grab my head." he said and scooped up a second handful of sand.

Akatsuki looked back up at the sky and sighed to herself. "So that's what I did to you," she said and felt that same guilty feeling again. "I'm sorry," she said and turned her head away again.

"Why?" Ikkaku replied, unsure of her sudden reaction.

"I did something awful to you, I'm sorry," she said again.

"Heh, I have no idea what you did but you shouldn't say your sorry, anythings fair in a fight for your life, I doubt at the time you felt you had any other options." he said seriously and without judgment, fully meaning what he said. When people are fighting for their life, anything is fair was Ikkaku's way of seeing it.

"But still," Akatsuki started to say but was interrupted by Ikkaku putting his hand of her mouth and she looked up at him in shock. He stared down at her and grinned evilly.

"Don't think this makes us even, next time we'll both put everything we have on the line!" Ikkaku said grinning and then his face turned serious. Any moment now the others would be here and he took a leap of faith. "I don't know what you did to me, nor do I think I want to but I have this feeling that if you do it again you'll get what you want from me," he said seriously.

Akatsuki tried to protest but Ikkaku kept his hand on her mouth and all that escaped were muffled noises. She shot him an annoyed look which only made him laugh at her.

"That's better!" he said. "Being annoyed is better then feeling guilty over something, so do it!" Once he was sure she wasn't trying to protest anymore he removed his hand and looked at her expression of annoyance in satisfaction.

"Your sure?" Akatsuki said with barely contained annoyance.

"Yeah, I have this strange feeling, that I know you wont do the same as you did last time," he said seriously and with a strange sense of certainty.

Akatsuki looked into his eyes and saw his overwhelming conviction that she had seen while fighting against him and she wished she had that kind of conviction herself. She tried to sit up but wasn't able to. "Help me up shinigami-sama," she said embarrassingly and blushed slightly.

Ikkaku laughed and pulled her up so that she was sat upright in front of him. Suddenly he felt very uneasy about her being so close to him but he was careful to hide it beneath his evil grin. Akatsuki reached out and cupped his head in her hands and looked straight into his eyes. He wondered why she was blushing about such a insignificant thing. "Now what?" he said.

Akatsuki closed her eyes and smiled evilly at him. "You relax, Shinigami-sama," she said sarcastically and brought her forehead to his so that they touched ever so slightly. She felt the connection between them and the sensation of the thoughts and feelings on the surface of his mind wash over her like warm water. Her eyes suddenly opened, her iris's turned a deep crimson red.

----------------------------------------------

Ikkaku opened his eyes and found himself looking up at the sky again, white clouds giving his eyes a moments shade from the sun. He felt strange, very strange, though it wasn't in a bad way. His eyes opened wide in shock as he realized that his memories had returned, he remembered everything so clearly as if it had happened only moments ago. _'She restored my memories!?'_ he wondered to himself and felt as if he understood, if just a little, what her powers were.

"Awwwww, isn't this just an adorable site," Ikkaku heard Yumichika say and twisted his head so that he could see his friend who was stood only meters away, his arms crossed and a evil smile on his face. Ichigo and Rukia were stood with the same dumb expressions of their faces and it pissed him off.

"Urghhh, what the hell are you talking about!?" Ikkaku said aggressively.

"Oh my," Rukia said and barely held back a snicker.

"Maybe we should come back?" Ichigo said sarcastically and nodded towards Ikkaku's body.

Only now did Ikkaku feel extra weight on his chest and he realized that someone was on top of him. He turned his head and half sat up so that he could see what was going on. Akatsuki was asleep on him, using his chest as a pillow, she had such a peaceful look on her face. Then, understanding what was being implied shot them all a look which could of broken stone. "This isn't what it looks like!"

"Heh heh heh," Akatsuki mumbled in her sleep. "I'm not crazy, your crazy!"

Yoruichi, who had been here before the others had arrived had seen a lot more then this and quickly ran off before the others noticed her presence. She had seen something very interesting, something Urahara would definitely want to know about.

----------------------------------------------

"Urghhhh," Akatsuki groaned as Ichigo held her in his arms.

"What are you going to do?" Ichigo asked as he made sure he had a good hold of her body.

Ikkaku and Yumichika looked at Ichigo confused, then looked at each other and back at Ichigo. "What the hell are you talking about?" Ikkaku said sarcastically.

"I'm a cute little maid," Akatsuki said cheerfully in her stupor and snickered to herself.

"Ummm whatever you say," Ichigo said as he tried to ignore her strange ranting. "Guess your gonna tell Soul Society about Akatsuki," Ichigo said and made eye contact with Ikkaku, trying to gauge his intentions.

"They don't have a choice Ichigo," Rukia said depressingly.

"Heh, we didn't receive any orders to look for her specifically," Ikkaku said cheerfully. "In fact, we didn't receive any orders to come down here at all." Ikkaku grinned at Ichigo and Rukia's dumbfounded expressions and laughed.

"What he's trying to say is we have no obligation to either bring the young lady back with us or report her discovery at all," Yumichika added on to what Ikkaku had said. He reached up and brushed his fingers through his hair and smiled conspiratorially at Rukia and Ichigo.

"But if they find out about this you'll be in all kinds of hell!" Ichigo protested.

"So what?" Ikkaku replied bluntly and crossed his arms in front of him. "Don't you want to protect that girl from us? Why complain about it?" Ikkaku stared into Ichigo's eye's and walked over to to him and placed a hand onto his shoulder so that he could talk straight into Ichigo's ear. "I don't know why your protecting her and I don't really care one way or the other. No doubt you got your reasons."

"My reasons?" Ichigo said to himself as Ikkaku pulled away and started to walk away back towards Yumichika who looked at his friend curiously which only earned him a half hearted shrug. Before he reached Yumichika Ikkaku turned around and looked into Ichigo's eyes again and considered him a moment longer.

"I hope you have one," Ikkaku said seriously and carried on his way, ignoring Yumichika who smiled at him as if sharing a private joke.

"A reason?" Ichigo repeated to himself.

"Ichigo?" Rukia said, wondering what Ikkaku had said but not fully wanting to ask. Ichigo seemed caught in thought and she wondered if he had even heard her voice. She turned back to Yumichika. "Ichigo's right, you can't hide this from the captains," she said in a serious tone and instantly felt a small pang of guilt at her words, words that would get Akatsuki caught by Soul Society. Rukia still didn't know Akatsuki well enough to even start to understand or trust her but she trusted Ichigo and knew this was a dangerous position for him to be in.

Yumichika considered Rukia's words and knew that she spoke the truth but that didn't concern him very much.

"Don't worry about it, we'll handle it!" Ikkaku said confidently as he walked off.

Rukia and Ichigo looked at each other in mild confusion and then back at Ikkaku who gave them a bloody thumbs up.

"I'm sure our Captain will be very concerned about the situation," he said sarcastically.

----------------------------------------------

"Is this the item Akatsuki-san was asking for?" Tessai asked as he showed the contents of a very old and torn box to Urahara who swiftly pulled the box from his hands and peered inside.

Pulling the box so suddenly caused all of the dust to fly into Urahara's face and he flipped his fan out to to blow away the dust. Once the dust had cleared he looked into the box and smiled triumphantly to himself as his eyes fell upon one of the items he had been looking for. "Indeed it is Tessia-san!" he said overly cheerfully and blew his face with the fan.

"What use could young Miss Akatsuki have for such a unusual thing?" Tessai asked curiously as Urahara went back to looking into the box. "Does it have some special properties or uses that I am unaware of?" he carried on when it seemed that Urahara was going to ignore the first question.

Urahara's attention strayed from the box and he looked up at Tessai with a cheerfully evil smile. "Nope, not a thing!" he said smiling naively.

Tessai stared at his boss and considered that suspicious smile for a moment and decided that there was something just too suspicious about that smile. "Are you sure?" Tessai said in a neutral tone.

Urahara waved his cane about dramatically and laughed to himself. "Yes yes I'm very sure, this thing is completely harmless!" he said enthusiastically.

Tessai just returned his smile with his cold as ice, hard as rock stare.

"It really is!" Urahara protested and smiled as Tessai relented his unnerving glare. "Its just that I haven't seen this thing in decades," he said and looked back into the box again. "Maybe even longer, I really don't remember." He wasn't sure why but his voice was tinged with regret. "Its been here so long I only remembered about it when Akatsuki asked for something similar to it. I don't even recall how I came about it in the first place"

"I see," Tessai responded happy enough with the answer.

They left the din of the room and returned to what seemed like an overly bright hallway after so long in that dark store room that they both had to shield their eyes for a second. They headed back to the shop floor where they found Jinta and Ururu tending to the stock that was on display. The red headed boy looked up at them both as they entered and glared at them both.

"What took you guys so long?" Jinta said harshly.

"Jinta!" Ururu protested and hid behind Jinta defensively.

"Its dangerous back there!" Urahara replied grinning. He was about to carry on towards his study when he felt a very familiar presence in the room. "Was it dangerous outside as well?" he asked to no one in particular.

Yoruichi stalked into the shop and walked over towards Urahara and sat in front of him. "I just saw something very interesting," she said in her usual flat tone of voice.

----------------------------------------------

"Kyah!" Akatsuki shouted and waved her arms about childishly, which might not have been a problem if Ichigo had not been trying to carry her at the time.

"Damn it! Stop doing that you annoying brat!" Ichigo shouted back irritably as a vein threatened to burst on his forehead.

"Ichigo, calm down," Rukia said reasonably.

"Your not the one shes hitting in the face," Ichigo said through gritted teeth as he quickly twisted his head to avoid what he was starting to think was a deliberate attack by Akatsuki. He glared down at her sleeping face and looked for any sign that she was awake and not asleep at all, finding none he sighed.

"That was all way too close," Rukia said in a serious tone. "I wonder how they found her in the first place."

Ichigo felt that Ikkaku had most likely felt her presence in the same way that he had and he wanted to ask Rukia if she had felt anything strange at the same time he had. But what he had felt was hard to put into words, at least, words that made even a drop of sense to anyone and that included himself. It had been like he had felt her, not her reiatsu, more like Akatsuki herself and that made little sense to him. Thinking back he guessed that Rukia probably hadn't felt the same disturbing sensation and if she had she had hidden it very well. "No idea," Ichigo said simply and without thinking about it dodged Akatsuki's flailing arms again.

Rukia was hoping for a little more then two words and frowned at Ichigo. She looked down from Ichigo to Akatsuki and stared at her long enough for Ichigo to take notice and look down at her curiously. Akatsuki's skin still looked pale to almost the point of being ghostly and her hair was still that same shade of pale red, its long flowing length trailing just above Ichigo's knees as they walked along. Save for the bruises and dirt she didn't really look any different from the Akatsuki she had seen earlier that day. However no matter long she looked at her she couldn't shake the feeling that something was different about her, it was subtle and she couldn't put her finger on it but ever since the fight had ended Akatsuki felt different to be around. Rukia shook her head to take her mind off such pointless thoughts and looked up at Ichigo who was once again watching the path ahead. "What did Ikkaku say to you before, you know, just before he left," Rukia asked curiously.

"Nothing really," Ichigo said confidently and grinned at Rukia. At first Ikkaku's words had left him not knowing what to say, he really couldn't think of a solid reason why he would protect Akatsuki, however he soon shrugged off that way of thinking. Since when did he need a reason to protect someone who needed his help. "Nothing at all."

----------------------------------------------


	15. What are you?

_**Twilight Marionette: Hello everyone! Good Morning! Good Evening! And Good Night to you!**_

**_Twilight Puppeteer: Your late!_**

**_Twilight Marionette: cough cough I was very busy, this was the earliest I could finish this chapter, its the truth._**

**_Twlight Puppeteer: Well in that case, we hope you enjoy this chapter and to make up for being late on posting it she will post another chapter before the end of the week to make up for it. nods_**

**_Twilight Marionette: Yes yes thats right, I should do that.....wait? What!? Bu b b b but!_**

**_Twilight Puppeteer: Look foward to it! thumbs up We know you can do it!_**

**_Twilight Marionette: W w w wait! Don't leave me to this alone! Come back! tears_**

_Chapter 15: What are you?_

The Arrancar watched from above as the two Shinigami returned to where they had first entered the world of the living, their progress had been slow yet meaningful to both themselves and their grateful observer. She stood mid air looking up at the Shinigami, or rather looking down at them from her upside down point of view and smiled. It wasn't a wicked smile nor a malicious smile, just a weak smile, the kind of smile used by people who felt like they should smile but were altogether not used to smiling. Both her hair and her clothes seemed to ignore the fact that she was stood upside down, her over sized kimono and hair hanging as if she were the right way up.

Ikkaku drew his Zanpakuto and slowly but accurately pushed his blade into thin air. Once the blade was most of the way in Ikkaku twisted his Zanpakuto by the hilt, causing a loud knocking noise. The Senkai gate appeared in front of him and its doors began to slowly creep open, light streaming fourth from the gateway. Out of the light flew two Hell Butterfly's accompanied by the sound of bells fluttered over towards the two Shinigami and hovered around them expectantly.

"We should hurry on through before were missed much longer," Yumichika said non nonchalantly as he brushed at some errant dust that had dared to land on his Kimono. The problem with the world of the living he thought was that there was all together far too much dirt.

Ikkaku grinned at his friend but said nothing and casually strode into the light of the gate, his Hell Butterfly fluttering eagerly after him as it followed him past the threshold.

Yumichika walked forward towards the gate and was about to enter as well when he felt a very unnerving feeling run through his body. He looked up into the sky but found nothing but the Sun and clouds. He shaded his eyes to look towards the sun, sure that he had felt someones eyes upon him but failed to see anyone, or what could have worse, anything looking back at him. He shook his head to dispel the unpleasant feeling and walked through the Senkai gate. As his Butterfly followed him through the threshold the gate began to close until to it closed shut with a loud knock. As the gate faded from sight and existence it revealed a person standing behind it.

The Arrancar walked forwards to where the gate had been only moments ago and reached out her hand to try and touch where the gate had been. She felt nothing but was able to rest her hand exactly where the gate had been stood, the minute disturbance in spiritual density left by the gate was still tangible to her. She closed her eyes and sighed a sigh of relief and began to walk away when she felt another presence rapidly approach from behind her. However she did not react to it and waited for it to arrive.

Otono flashed into view a few feet behind the other Arrancar and instantly went to draw her Zanpakuto, however the voice of the one before her stopped her arms movement as her fingers began to tighten around the hilt.

"I'm not here to fight you," the smaller Arrancar said in a perfectly neutral tone of voice.

"You should not be here at all!" Otono protested forcefully despite her own hesitation at drawing her sword. The Arrancar in front of her was of a lower rank and even her size was a foot shorter then herself, yet she could not help but be put off by that perfectly controlled tone of voice.

"Then where should I be?" the smaller Arrancar asked curiously, her voice still neutral in its tone.

"Where?" Otono replied uncertainly. She was taken slightly aback by the question but was determined not to be deterred. "Not here," she said firmly and released her grip on her Zanpakuto. She walked over to the smaller Arrancar and rested her hand on her shoulder. "We should go, Yami."

Yami twisted her head to look up and smiled politely at Otono who returned her smile with one of her own. "OK, your right, its not wise to stay here much longer," Yami said and turned around to face Otono. "Besides, she's safe still," she added on to the end as she walked past Otono in no great hurry, her long brown hair blowing gently in the wind behind her.

Otono sighed and shook her head despairingly and followed Yami.

As the two Arrancar left a third person, who until now had waited patiently, carefully walked over to the spot where the two had been only moments before. His white costume spotless with his cape gently blowing in the breeze, though strangely enough he noticed that it was not blowing in the same direction that the girls hair had been.

Ishida bent down and touched the ground and let the feeling of long spent spirit energy run through his fingers. He was right he realized, he really had missed something important today, in fact something major had happened here. If he wasn't mistaken a fight had occurred here not so long ago and he nodded to himself in satisfaction.

Ishida had followed the pulses of energy but they had faded long before he had arrived and found only the two female Arrancar. He had considered attacking them but knew that would have been fool hardy considering he knew nothing of their rank or their powers. Besides, the smaller one knew he had been there the whole time, he was sure of it, it had been such a strong feeling and it had reinforced his common sense.

"I wonder what happened here," Ishida said to himself and wandered back towards the crater he had passed not so long ago. Looking down into it he could feel the latent spirit pressure of the people who had been fighting here. Though weak, there was the spiritual trace of both an Arrancar and a Shinigami. However, though extremely faint indeed, he could feel a third power and he knew that power well. It was Zangetsu, Ichigo's Zanpakuto. "Very interesting indeed."

_-------------------------------------------_

_Ichigo opened his eyes to find himself in the sideways city, the view as blue as always with barely a cloud to be seen. He looked around cautiously but realized soon enough that he was alone here. "What the," he started to say but stopped as he heard an all too familiar laugh from behind him. He spun on the spot to face his inner Hollow but found himself staring at nothing._

"_Why so jumpy Ichigo?" the Hollow said sarcastically from behind Ichigo._

_Ichigo didn't react at first and this time made no effort to be face to face with his inner self, he really wasn't in the mood for his Hollows games. "What do you want?" Ichigo asked harshly._

"_My my whatever do you mean?" the Hollow asked innocently and grinned evilly at Ichigo's back. How he wanted to cut Ichigo down right now but he needed to be patient, at least for now, there would be plenty of chances soon enough._

_Ichigo turned to face his inner Hollow and grinned back. "Why did you bring me here? Going to attack me again?" Ichigo said confidently._

_Ichigo's inner Hollow's grin deepened and then burst out into his maniacal laughter at the suggestion._

"_What the hells so funny!?" Ichigo shouted as he swung an arm out in front of him. He clenched his fist tight, resist the urge to draw Zangetsu._

_The Hollow was about to answer when the grin was wiped from its face as it heard a deep, masculine voice behind it suddenly speak its mind. "He didn't bring you here Ichigo, I did," Zangetsu said in his usual dark, stoic voice. He was standing on top of his sword, the black material of his long coat billowing around him like black flames._

_Ichigo relaxed slightly and let his arm fall back down to his side. "Why?" he asked simply. Zangetsu was a man of very few words and Ichigo had become the same when talking to him._

"_Akatsuki," Zangetsu said and looked off into the distance in deep thought._

"_What about her?" Ichigo replied with a serious expression across his face. Ichigo waited patiently but Zangetsu stood staring out over the sideways city and had seemed to forget Ichigo's existence. He looked across at his inner Hollow who merely stared back at him with his usual insane grin._

_Zangetsu turned to face Ichigo and walked slowly towards him, his black coat billowing behind him. As he came level with Ichigo he stopped by his side but didn't turn to face Ichigo. "Hakumei," Zangetsu said simply._

"Ahh!" Ichigo gasped as he woke suddenly from his sleep. He reached towards his head and rubbed his eyes to push the tiredness from them and to shield his eyes from the mid morning sun that was beating down on him from his window. "What the hell was that about?" he said to himself. He let himself fall back down onto his bed and left his hand covering his eyes.

_-------------------------------------------_

_The two girls sat side by side, the rain beating down upon them, matting their hair across the brows of their faces. They sat motionless here, their arms wrapped tightly around their knees, their eyes looking at the rain soaked earth, reddened by tears. Both wore the same rain drenched clothes, their positions like mirror reflections of each other. Akatsuki tried to look up but felt unable to look away, her tears felt heavy and full of regrets and anger. Against her back she could feel the hard, cold stone of a wall and it gave her little comfort._

_Akatsuki forced her eyes slowly upwards to look around. Standing around her were five shadowy images of men, inky blue in color and she was sure she could see through them, as if they only partially existed. The men lingered around her and the other girl in a rough semi circle, though they seemed to have no interest in the two that they were looking at. Only then did Akatsuki realize that they had no eyes with which to look at her, in fact, they had no features at all. No more then faceless, nameless shadows yet she felt that they looked upon the world with hatred and malice._

_A sharp pain which pulsated through Akatsuki's head forced her to close her eyes and hold her head tightly. Images of people and places she neither knew nor remembered flooded across her vision, blinding her to the world around. As the pain receded her eyes were forced open again to the same view, the blue shadows had not moved, or spoken, yet it felt different then it had a moment ago. She looked to her right to find that the other girl was gone and she was all alone. She felt the panic rise within her, a cold dread which she was unable to resist and felt her body begin to shake in a fear she did not understand._

_Akatsuki looked back towards the blue shadows of the men she did not know, standing just behind them was the girl, her rain soaked hair hid her face from Akatsuki and all that she could see was those deep crimson eyes staring at her with loathing and malice. Though she could not see the girls face Akatsuki was sure that she was smiling at her. Akatsuki tried to move but was completely paralyzed by those eyes and her body felt an icy cold grip embrace her. She tried to speak but no sounds escaped her lips and it was all she could do to look up at the shadow clad girl._

_The girl slowly raised her arm until she was pointing at Akatsuki. The inky blue shadows seemed to stir from whatever trance held their minds and they started to slowly gather around Akatsuki until they formed a tight semi circle around her._

_Akatsuki shook her head and tried to protest, to cry for help but still her cries were soundless in this rain soaked world._

_The girl shook her head and turned to walk away from Akatsuki, her long hair trailing behind her like a golden flame._

Akatsuki opened her eyes slowly, the early morning sun forcing her to shield her eyes with the back of her right hand. Her body felt tired and stiff as she slowly forced herself to sit up, clutching the bed covers tightly against her chest.

"Well, that was different," she said to herself depressingly and shook her head. She twisted her head so that she was looking out of the window, the early morning breeze blowing gently against her face, its crisp, cold touch forcing the tiredness from from her heavy eyes.

Akatsuki sighed and looked down into her lap and shook her head again. Her body still hurt all over after fighting with Ikkaku Madame. But at least something useful had come of it at the end. And she was glad that she was able to undo something awful that she had done to him. She remembered being carried back by Ichigo even through she drifting was in and out of consciousness the whole time and she blushed slightly when she realized she had no idea if she had said anything weird to him.

Akatsuki shook her head and looked back out of the window. "But why? Why did I weaken so quickly that time, its just like before," she said to herself as she looked at her open hand and flexed her grip tentatively. When fighting Ikkaku her strength had just abandoned her without warning and she wasn't sure what to make of that, or even how she was supposed to feel about it. She never had been a strong fighter, but, she had never felt so drained either. It worried her, ever since waking up in the Kurosaki Clinic she had felt normal, a little tired maybe but nothing like this.

_'Just like when Ururu attacked me and when Ichigo first saw Otono. Whats wrong with me?'_ she thought to herself depressingly. She pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them to comfort herself. Then she reminded herself of the dream and suddenly felt very uncomfortable sitting like that and let her legs slip away.

"Ahhhhh whats wrong with me!?" Akatsuki suddenly burst out and let herself fall backwards. She put her hands against the side of her head and shook her head playfully, kicking her legs childishly into the air. She then sat up again quickly and jumped out of bed and punched her fist into the air.

"That better!" she said energetically to herself. She blushed at her own actions and laughed halfheartedly. She ran her fingers through her hair and twiddled some strands between her fingers and put the end into her mouth. Only then, with the early morning light creeping its way across the floor of the room did she notice something that shouldn't have been there, yet she knew as she looked at it that it belonged.

Near her door was a long black tube like object leaning against the corner wall of the room. She walked cautiously over to it, careful with her steps as her body still felt uneasy. It was a large black tube with a lid on one end and a crimson red strap so that it could be carried on a person's back with ease. She reached down and picked up the black tube and carried it close to her body as she slowly walked back over to her bed and sat down with the tube resting on her lap. Akatsuki smiled warmly and hugged the tube before carefully removing the lid with a satisfying pop.

"Welcome back, sister," Akatsuki said happily.

_------------------------------------------- _

"No way, jeez cant you find someone else?" Ichigo complained lazily as he rested his head on the breakfast table, he still felt exhausted and really wasn't in the mood today.

"Oh please, as if you have anything better to do," Karin replied sarcastically as she sat down next to her brother.

"That's not the point, why not you?" Ichigo countered as he picked himself up so that Yuzu could put his breakfast were his face had been. The smell of hot food lifted his spirits instantly.

"I can't, I have practice today," Karin replied simply and dismissed Ichigo's protests with a flick of her hand.

"Don't be so miserable Ichigo!" Isshin added on in his usual over enthusiastic voice. He looked across at his son's half dazed expression and grinned.

"I'm not miserable, because of her I'm just too tired to care today," Ichigo replied halfheartedly and only realized what he had said after it had left his mouth. To anyone else it was a harmless few words, but not to his father and he instantly regretted it. He unconsciously winced as he saw a small, yet evil smile slowly spread across his fathers face. "Urghh."

Isshin brought his hand up to his chin and nodded thoughtfully to himself. "I see I see, my son is becoming a man at last," he said thoughtfully to himself.

"Damn it, don't just make stuff up like that!" Ichigo protested.

"Well, ignoring the idiot over there," Karin said as she motion towards Isshin with a nod of her head.

"That hurts you know!" Isshin replied and pretended to be hurt.

"She needs some new clothes, all I've seen her in is that red uniform," Yuzu said, finishing Karin's sentence as she sat down next to Ichigo and smiled warmly at him. Ichigo suddenly felt very uncomfortable, that adorable and innocent smile made him feel like the bad guy here and he sighed in defeat. "I just wish big sister was able to get her memory back," Yuzu said kindly as she took a bite out of her toast.

"She's not your sister," Ichigo replied.

"Well she's been here long enough she might as well be," Karin added on sarcastically. It wasn't that she disliked Akatsuki, in fact she had a certain fondness for her but she wondered how long she would be sticking around. She wondered if Akatsuki really did have amnesia, people with amnesia usually tried to find out who they are and where they come from, it was only natural after all. But Akatsuki was different, as far as Karin could tell she didn't seem to be very bothered about having amnesia, to Karin at least, it seemed more like Akatsuki didn't want to remember or more worryingly that she was running away from someone or something.

"Don't be mean!" Yuzu said to her sister and stuck her tongue out.

"Where is she anyway?" Isshin asked Ichigo curiously. Normally Akatsuki was always here for breakfast, even if she didn't say very much she did her best to be polite and courteous. Isshin wondered if she still felt unwelcome here and that bothered him a lot.

Isshin shook his head slightly and smiled wryly to himself. If anyone knew what it felt like to be in a strange and unfamiliar world it was him, after all, he had defected from Soul Society all those years ago. He hoped returning her sword would help a little. In fact he had been surprised that she had not taken it back from him sooner, not that he was unhappy to give it back at all since that sword gave him the creeps, it always felt like the sword was watching him. Even when he couldn't see it.

"Why ask me!?" Ichigo protested weakly to his father.

"Well she is your responsibility Ichigo!" Isshin replied with conviction in his voice.

"When did that happen!? Isn't she your responsibility!?" Ichigo countered and looked up from the table at his father with a stare that would've melted ice. He was sure Akatsuki was the reason he couldn't get any decent sleep lately though he couldn't prove that, she really was a handful after all.

"I brought her some tea already, she doesn't look very well today," Yuzu said with heartfelt concern. Akatsuki had looked so pale that she had literally pushed Akatsuki back into her bed despite her protests that that was her normal skin color.

Ichigo sat up in his seat and leaned back so that he was staring at the ceiling and sighed. "I just wish I could find a way to get her out of here," he said with a light smile. He heard the sound of something breaking and looked around but nothing had changed in the room. No one else seemed to have heard it either.

"Ichigo! Don't be so mean! She'd cry if she heard you say that!" Yuzu said angrily.

"_I don't think you understand her personality at all_," Ichigo said under his breath sarcastically.

"Yuzu-chan is right, your such a cold hearted brute Ichigo!" Isshin joined in with a grin of his own.

"Not you as well!" Ichigo growled at Isshin. He was suddenly feeling very outnumbered and sighed in defeat. "Jeez, its not like I meant it like that anyway, I just meant I want her to be able to go home," Ichigo offered.

Yuzu's expression became soft and she smiled kindly at her brother. Ichigo really was a kind person, it was just that he didn't think about how he said things Yuzu thought to herself. "Girl's are very sensitive about things like that Ichigo," Yuzu said and pointed at Ichigo accusingly.

"_And I'm telling you you don't understand her personality,_" Ichigo mumbled under his breath again. Ichigo rubbed his eyes to shake off the last of his tiredness and pushed away from the table and stood up. "I'm going out," Ichigo said simply and started to leave before his family could ask where he was going. As he turned the corner into the hallway he felt something hard and sharp underneath his foot and carefully took a step backwards. On the floor were the remains of what was most likely a cup. "A tea cup?" he said to himself and bent down to pick up a fragment of the pottery. "Guess you heard that huh?" Ichigo said to himself.

_------------------------------------------- _

"Haaaaa!" Akatsuki said forcefully as she pushed her left arm out into the air in front of her. When nothing happened she patiently returned to her original position and tried again, only this time louder. An angry expression crossed her face and she started shouting at thin air. "Damn it damn damn it!" she shouted and clenched her fists into tight balls.

Rukia sat opposite her against a tree and watched the spectacle intently, she wasn't sure what Akatsuki was actually trying to do and had been dragged off by her to this place when she had crossed her path by chance. At the time Akatsuki had had such an angry and determined look on her face that she had dared not refuse, not that she had been given any chance to refuse. Akatsuki had barely looked her way before grabbing her hand and dragging her off. She had that same hilarious look of anger then that she had now and Rukia was trying very hard not to laugh. "Ummm what are you trying to actually do?" Rukia said as she put her hand up like a student in class.

Akatsuki pointed at the empty air accusingly and glared angrily. "You think your so clever don't you!" Akatsuki said menacingly.

"Ummm who are talking to?" Rukia asked again with her hand still up, her expression completely unmoved.

"Silence!" Akatsuki shouted and waved her arms around in the air and pointed at thin air again.

Rukia sighed but didn't get angry as she realized that Akatsuki hadn't even heard her and was talking to whatever it was she seemed to be seeing. Rukia sighed and reached inside her kimono and fished out her communicator and flipped it open. The tracking screen showed virtually zero hollow activity in the area and none in Rukia's assigned area's. Unsurprisingly Akatsuki didn't even register as a disturbance, never mind a blip on the screen and she couldn't help but be impressed by that. "Why do you like it here so much anyway, I get the feeling you come here a lot," Rukia asked unenthusiastically.

"But it is kind nice here, don't you think sis?" Akatsuki replied sweetly. She reached behind her back and took hold of the large black tube and brought it round in front of her body and held in tightly in both hands. She smiled sweetly at the tube, then suddenly started shaking it violently. "Do something! I bet this is your fault isn't it!" she shouted at the tube.

"Well, I guess so but I don't really see why," Rukia started to say, ignoring her attack on the black tube, but another thought crossed her mind and she stopped dead. _'Sister? Sister!? When did we become sisters?' _she thought cautiously as she turned her head slowly to face Akatsuki who was still attacking thin air, only this time using the the black case as a bat. "Sister?" she said before she was able to stop herself.

Akatsuki quickly turned around and brought her hands up to her chest, she closed her eyes and her smile was one mixed with both happiness and melancholy. A small tear appeared in the corner of Akatsuki's eye and she gently wiped it with the sleeve of her kimono. "It makes me so happy to hear you say that Rukia-chan!" Akatsuki said as she blushed and jumped at Rukia, her arm's spread out wide.

"Huh!? Wait wait!" Rukia stuttered and raised her arms out in front of her defensively.

The tree's resonated with the sound of a loud crack and the birds flew from the tree's in a hurried panic

_------------------------------------------- _

"Eh eheheheh, that hurt sister," Akatsuki mumbled as she rubbed her sore head where Rukia had smashed the sheath of her Zanpakuto into her head.

"It serves you right! Jumping at me like that! And don't call me sister!" Rukia said angrily even though she had Akatsuki's head on her lap. In truth Rukia had been taken a back by her sudden lunge and had reacted more out of instinct then being angry but she couldn't say anything without Akatsuki learning that she had scared Rukia. Something about letting her find out that bothered Rukia for some reason.

Akatsuki looked at Rukia's eye's but she was looking away from Akatsuki and she sighed in defeat. "Sorry Rukia-chan," Akatsuki said sarcastically, drawing out the chan till she saw a vein appear on Rukia's forehead.

"Its Rukia-san to you!" Rukia shouted irritably and blushed at herself for shouting like that. She brought her hand up to her mouth and coughed. "Just Rukia will be fine, you know," she said without moving her hand away from her mouth.

"Sorry, you know, for dragging you all the way out here and everything," Akatsuki said with a melancholic tone of voice. "Its just that, well, sometimes when I'm angry I don't think quicker then my body acts. Heh heh."

Rukia sighed and shook her head. "And you still won't tell tell me what you were doing," she said sarcastically to herself.

Akatsuki looked up at Rukia with eyes that shone with innocence and smiled questioningly at her, then she realized that of course a Shinigami wouldn't know what she had been trying to do. She blushed in embarrassment as she realized what it must of looked like from Rukia's point of view and turned her head on its side so that both Akatsuki and Rukia were looking in different directions. "I was ummm, trying to summon a gate," Akatsuki mumbled to herself.

Rukia turned her head so that she was looking down on Akatsuki again. "A gate?" she repeated questioningly to Akatsuki.

Akatsuki sat upright in front of Rukia but was still facing away from her. "A gate home, whatever you want to call it, I was just trying to go home," she said quietly to herself. _'Even though it seems I'm not welcome there anymore, but I don't think I'm very welcome here either,'_ she thought to herself and ran her fingers through her hair. "I thought that maybe now I could do it, now that my strength came back to me," she said and laughed to herself.

Rukia didn't say anything. She knew exactly what it felt like to be in her position, to be unable to return home and pursued by the ones that she considered family. The circumstances were different but the problem was the same and she knew there was very little she could say to cheer her up. She knew the best thing to do would be to just listen to Akatsuki.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Akatsuki shouted as she punched angrily at the air again, "Don't you mess with me! I'll show you Ichigo!"

Rukia looked at her in surprise at first but simply shook her head and sighed again. _'Just pretend crying huh?' _she thought to herself and smiled. Rukia glanced up towards the sky and watched the clouds go by in their lazy wanderings. Even though it was such a nice day she couldn't help but feel that the atmosphere felt unnaturally heavy today, as if something important had happened without either of them noticing.

_------------------------------------------- _

Urahara lay motionless on his back staring at the ceiling, he had been staring for so long that he was sure that the tiles had started moving around on their own accord. He scrunched his eyes tight and opened them again to find that everything was nice and motionless as it should be. He turned his head onto its side so that he was able to see the clock and laughed to himself. He had wondered how long he had been lazing here but then realized he didn't remember when he had first laid down, so looking at the clock was pointless.

Around him he was aware of the day to day sounds of his shop, the sound of Tessai efficiently and quietly moving the stock around and keeping his detailed records of the inventory. Urahara grinned to himself as he realized that since breaking into that old store room the other day that Tessai had been dedicated to its cataloging. He heard the sound of gentle and quiet footsteps pass by his room around with a almost silent periodic swishing noise. It would be Ururu he knew, sweeping the floor as she always did, even when the floor was clean. She was a person of habit and no one would ever tell her to act otherwise, its what made her special. He strained his ears until he could hear the harsh tones of Jinta's voice complaining about something, what he was complaining about Urahara couldn't be sure but that wasn't something he was concerned with either. To anyone else all of these sounds would prove an annoyance but to Urahara these were sounds that made up his comfortable and interesting little world. It helped him think.

Yoruichi's words had stayed at the back of his thoughts since he had first heard them and he couldn't help but be more then a little interested. It was just his nature. She had described to him in great detail about Akatsuki's encounter with Ikkaku Madarame of squad 11, how Akatsuki was, to a small degree able to wield Ichigo's Zanpakuto, Zangetsu.

This was a interesting little fact but not one that was of any real concern. What interested him more then anything was Yoruichi's report of the way that both Ikkaku and Ichigo had been seemingly drawn towards her that day. Yoruichi herself had been impressed by both Akatsuki's ability to detect even hidden spiritual beings but even more so by how well she was able to conceal herself from others. If she hadn't of known better from the start she could have easily mistaken Akatsuki for a normal human girl.

_'So why were both Ichigo and Ikkaku drawn to her so strongly, as if they both knew exactly where she was?' _she had asked Urahara curiously, fishing for answers that Urahara didn't have to offer. And of course, the strange thing that she did to Ikkaku after the fight. Even Yoruichi had no idea what had happened between them.

"Hmm I wonder what your powers really are, Hollow girl," Urahara said roguishly to himself and grinned. He decided that the easiest way to find out would just be to ask her about it, the only tricky part was creating a situation in which he could casually ask. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, or Ichigo's conviction to help her but he wasn't so naive to think that something like that didn't matter. "Maybe we should have you over for Tea, Hollow Girl," he said to himself and smiled.


	16. Gathering Clouds

_**Twilight Marionette: (panting) I, I did it, 1 chapter in under a week. (sighs)**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: (claps) Well that's a nice surprise, I really didn't think you could do it.**_

_**Twilight Marionette: (narrows her eyes) What did you say!?**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: Oh nothing, nothing at all. (waves his hand up and down)**_

_**Twilight Marionette: (silence)**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: Heh heh, guess I lost that bet huh.**_

_**Twilight Marionette: Y, y, you bet on me? I'm gonna kill you! (faints)**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: Hope you all enjoy this chapter, see you all soon. (waves and drags the Twilight Marionette off)**_

_**Twlight Marionette:...**_

_**Chapter 16: Gathering Clouds**_

Akatsuki munched on the cracker slowly yet diligently as she ate it without using her hands.

"How lady like," Isshin commented flatly.

Akatsuki put another cracker into her mouth and started to eat it, the cracker slowly disappearing upwards into her mouth.

"How do you do that anyway," Isshin said curiously, resisting the urge to sit upside down too.

Akatsuki was sat upside down on the couch, her legs and hair hanging over the back as she almost robotic-ally consumed the crackers from Isshin's plate. She slowly twisted her head so that she was looking up at Isshin, her eyes narrowed slightly.

Isshin resisted the urge to carry on and twiddled his fingers. He laid back into the couch and looked up at the ceiling in thought. He was about to say something when he heard a quiet sliding sound and he quickly jerked his head and body forwards but it was already too late. Another cracker was slowly disappearing into Akatsuki's mouth, both of her hands gripping each side. Isshin pointed at her accusingly. "Damn you! I don't care how cute you make yourself look, those are my crackers!" he protested louder then he had intended too.

Akatsuki mechanically twisted her head to face him again, her eyes narrowed menacingly again.

"I'm not scared of you, go get your own crackers!" he said pointing towards the kitchen area. Akatsuki kept staring at him and he felt a drop of sweat roll down the side of his forehead. "I'm not going over there for you!"

Akatsuki's eyes narrowed even further so that only a small black pupil and two lines of gold could be seen.

"You don't scare me at all Hollow girl!" he said sarcastically and grinned triumphantly at her.

----------------------------------------------------------

Akatsuki sat upside with a cute smile on her face as she happily munched on another cracker. To her side was a fresh plate piled high with crackers.

Isshin sat back into the couch, his body and his pride had both been assaulted and he nursed a small bruise under his eye. He rested his head over the top of the couch and looked across at Akatsuki happily nibbling away on his precious cracker supply. A small but well hidden smile played across his lips. He nearly jumped in shock as at the exact same moment Akatsuki's head quickly twisted to look up at him, her eyes narrowed dangerously again.

Akatsuki watched as Isshin's face broke out into his usual happy and enthusiastic grin. This did very little to shake the sudden chill that just ran down her spine. "What are you up to dirty old man," she said slowly and purposefully.

Isshin jumped to his feet and pointed at her angrily. "Dirty old man!? I'm hurt, I haven't done anything yet!" Isshin protested and then coughed as Akatsuki's expression failed to change. "That is to say that I wasn't planning anything at all," he said in what he hoped was a tactful voice and nodded to himself.

Akatsuki relented and closed her eyes and smiled again as she started eating another cracker contently. "Whats wrong Mr Kurosaki," she said cheerfully with her mouth full.

"Please please! Its Isshin, just Isshin," Isshin said nodding to himself in agreement.

"If you say so Mr Kurosaki," Akatsuki said happily in a musical voice.

Isshin slumped his shoulders in near defeat but then a twinkle lit up his eyes and he stood up straight, his heart full of conviction. He looked down at Akatsuki and grinned devilishly at her and she smiled back at him, though her kind sweet smile made him shiver none the less. "There is, of course, one more thing you could call me," he said conspiratorially and brought his hand up under his chin as if in serious thought.

Akatsuki looked up at Isshin curiously and hummed.

"Call me," Isshin started to say and blushed slightly. "Call me father Akatsuki-chan!"

Akatsuki gagged as she nearly choked on the cracker she was eating. "I'm not calling you that you dirty old man!" she protested and waved her arms and legs about which caused her skirt, which until now had been firmly trapped under her legs, to slip. She felt the unwanted movement of material but was unable to prevent it. The upper half of her face fell under shadow and she blushed deeply.

"Akatsuki-chan?" Isshin said as he tried not to look at her from the very far side of his eyes.

"Yes," Akatsuki said quietly, her face red with embarrassment.

"I can see your," Isshin started to say.

----------------------------------------------------------

Isshin sat back on the couch with an ice pack on his face and laughed to himself. He turned his head to find Akatsuki sitting upright, this time she was sat in a polite position with her hands overlapping each over on her lap. Even though her eyes were closed and her expression completely neutral she was still decidedly red in the face, a combination of angry and embarrassment he guessed. Isshin was tempted to play some more with her but he noticed that the black tube which held her Zanpakuto was decidedly closer to her then it had been before, in fact, he didn't remember seeing her move it. "Akatsuki-chan?" he said cautiously.

"Mr Kurosaki," Akatsuki replied curtly.

"How are you doing?" Isshin asked with genuine concern in his voice and turned to face her.

"I'm doing fine, well, except for the amnesia," she replied politely, still keeping her guard up until she was sure Isshin was being serious this time.

Isshin stared at her for a moment then sighed. _'So your not going to open up to me willingly?' _he thought to himself and a small, evil smile appeared at the corner of his lips. "Sorry about this," he said kindly and reached out his hand towards Akatsuki's chest.

"Sorry about what?" Akatsuki asked curiously. She felt Isshin's hand touch the side of her chest and before she could react he playfully punched her bruised ribs. Akatsuki bit her lip so that a scream didn't escape her mouth and she turned to face Isshin with what she hoped was a scary expression. But it was hard to make a scary expression when there were tears in her eyes and she relented. "Ow ow ow ow," she hissed and rubbed her side comfortingly. "What did you do that for!" she shouted at Isshin and waved her free arm about.

"So," Isshin started to say as he sat back into the couch and smiled ruefully. "How are you doing? Anything you want to tell me?" he asked again.

"Better then you idiot," Akatsuki said to him halfheartedly and laughed as she pointed at his bruised eye.

Isshin laughed heartily and grinned back at her and noted that she suddenly seemed to be very uneasy in his presence.

"Huh?" Akatsuki said curiously.

"No, its nothing, I was just wondering how your doing, I heard you got into a little argument the other day," he offered.

"Oh, that, it was nothing," Akatsuki said with a certain amount of hesitation, what she knew about Isshin and what she could prove to be true were very different things. "Did you, see me?" she asked quietly in case someone could overhear her.

Isshin grinned to himself and breathed a sigh of relief, _'So she just doesn't trust in her own judgment of me, that's all,_' he thought and sat upright again. He looked at her seriously which made her look away from him at the floor again. "What I did and didn't see isn't important Akatsuki-chan, the question was are you doing OK?" he said in serious manner.

"I was fine, I was alone at first but then Ichigo came so," she started to say mumbled the rest until she stopped altogether. Akatsuki felt a slight hotness rush through her cheeks and realized she was blushing ever so slightly. "Your a Shinigami aren't you? Like Ichigo?" Akatsuki asked as a matter of curiosity but also as a way of changing the subject.

Isshin grinned back at her and his expression lost its serious nature. "I was, once. But Ichigo isn't a Shinigami, not really," Isshin said and nodded to himself. "He's a human, just like Yuzu and Karin."

"Human?" Akatsuki mimed to herself.

Isshin laughed loudly to himself and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Ha ha ha! Well, not your average human no but still human," he said seriously and looked up at the ceiling with what Akatsuki could tell was a proud smile.

_'Ichigo isn't a normal Shinigami, I guess I already knew that but still. No, I was sure, a normal Shinigami would never have protected me,' _she thought to herself and put her hands into her lap. _'But why.'_

Isshin noticed her start to squeeze the material of her dress and went to put his arm around her but stopped halfway when he suddenly felt a familiar presence approach the door to the room. He guessed Ichigo must have gone through his bed room window on his way back from his 'secret' patrols with Rukia and quickly pulled his arm away and tried to act casually. As the door opened he noticed that Akatsuki had already sat back upright as if they had never even been talking and she looked away from him with complete disregard.

"Aren't you two a pretty pair," Ichigo said sarcastically as he walked past them on his way towards the front door of the clinic. Though he wanted to look uninterested about it he really wondered what had happened while he was out, not only because of is fathers black eye but also because Akatsuki was being forcefully polite and courteous. The tension between them was like electricity jumping between the two of them.

"Oh! Where are you going Ichigo," Isshin asked in feigned, mild surprise at the sound of Ichigo's voice.

Ichigo sighed in exasperation. "_You really didn't even notice me did you? _I'm going to go meet Chad," Ichigo turned around and walked over towards the door. As he twisted the handle and felt the door click open he stopped and turned his head around to face the two of them. Neither had moved an inch yet he was suddenly suspicious of them. "Alone," he said in Akatsuki's direction.

Everything was motionless and quiet as Ichigo closed the door and left the house and neither of them said anything. "Chad?" Akatsuki said curiously in a soft voice and opened her eyes again as she turned to face Isshin.

"Hmm? Isshin hummed and sat backwards deep into the couch. "One of Ichigo's close friends," he said out of hand and moaned about the pain under his eye. He heard Akatsuki sigh and was surprised to feel the touch of her fingers wrap their way around his own and gently take the ice pack from his. She moved over towards him so that she was kneeling beside him and brushed at the bruise with the back of her hand. He couldn't help but grin evilly.

"What!?" Akatsuki said angrily at his sudden change in expression.

"Nothing, nothing at all, just thinking it feels much better with a girl doing this," he said grinning, Akatsuki's eyes narrowed and he immediately laughed to himself. "Joking joking."

Akatsuki felt his intentions and she became less tense. "One of, Ichigo's friends," Akatsuki repeated softly. "Its none of my business," she said to herself.

"Are you sure that's OK?" Isshin said to her seriously. He was worried about her, even though she said it was fine he got the feeling that it wasn't. _'You still don't really have any friends here apart from Ichigo and Rukia do you? Must be lonely,' _he thought to himself and smiled.

Akatsuki laughed to herself and dabbed at his bruise with the back of her sleeve gently.

"Whats so amusing?" Isshin said in a confused tone of voice.

Akatsuki closed her eyes and smiled kindly. "Its OK, I'm fine, really I am. I'm not lonely at all," she said happily. Though she was saying it more for her own benefit then Isshin's. Then she realized that she had done it again without thinking and her hand stopped dabbing the bruise.

"Akatsuki? You?" Isshin started to say.

"Um that is to say, I guessed what you were thinking! It was written all over your face! heh heh," Akatsuki rambled out and waved her arms about frantically. Isshin eyed her suspiciously but relented almost immediately.

"Woman's intuition huh?" Isshin offered with a smile.

"Yeah? Yeah! I'm a woman, I have that!" Akatsuki said to herself and gave an embarrassed laugh.

Isshin looked into her eyes and was sure he was finally starting to grasp what her power was and why she would go so far to conceal it. He took hold of the hand that was dabbing his bruise forcefully yet non violently. Akatsuki stuttered and locked her eyes with his own, her face slightly red, though whether from embarrassment or anger he couldn't tell. He started to reach out his other hand towards her forehead and he felt her resist his grip slightly, as if her body were trying to pull away on its own. Her eyes were unreadable even though they looked away from him down towards the floor. Just before his fingers touched her skin he stopped, hesitated for a brief second then pulled his hand away and let go of her hand. He grinned at her weary expression. "If you go after Ichigo now I'm sure you'll catch up to him," Isshin said confidently.

Akatsuki stared at him for a moment in silence before snapping herself out of it. "It's none of my business!" she said less then convincingly then last time as she marched off towards the front door of the house.

Isshin watched in amusement as she slammed the door shut behind her. "Its none of your business huh? But off you go anyway," Isshin said to himself and laughed heartily.

"I don't care about what that boys doing," she shouted back irritably at Isshin. "If you must know I'm going to go see the Mad Hatter!"

----------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo checked behind him again but still there was nothing out of the ordinary and he shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't shake the feeling that Akatsuki was following him but she clearly wasn't, he had even doubled back once or twice out of mild paranoia but found only normal people. He felt a small pang of guilt for being so paranoid but he really wanted to keep her a secret from his friends if at all possible. It wasn't that he didn't trust Akatsuki or his friends but originally he hadn't planned for Akatsuki to still be around after this amount of time. _'Maybe I should tell them, it would make things much easier and Akatsuki wouldn't have to avoid me whenever I'm out. But, I don't want to draw them into any trouble that comes from me helping Akatsuki,'_ he thought to himself and sighed.

He looked around the square for Chad but he still hadn't arrived yet and Ichigo slowly walked over to a seat so that he could sit down. He was still tired from his patrol with Rukia even though they had only come across two low level Hollow. "Damn it, why cant he just leave me alone for once in a while," Ichigo said to himself and leaned his head over the back of the bench. Though the visits from his inner Hollow self were infrequent they always left him feeling exhausted. He wondered if he had had something to do with his own lack of proper sleep lately. He was so tired that he didn't even notice that Chad had already walked up over to him and was surprised to feel Chad shaking his shoulder. "Chad?"

"Hi Ichigo," Chad said in his deep voice and sat down next to Ichigo.

"Hehe, I didn't even notice you, how long have you been here?" Ichigo asked curiously as he rubbed his eyes. He wondered if he had drifted off without even noticing.

Chad's expression remained the same except for a small hint of a smile. "I only just arrived myself, sorry for being late," Chad said apologetically. He noticed the tired look under Ichigo's eyes and wordlessly sat down next to him before Ichigo had a chance to stand up. "You don't look so good Ichigo, are you OK?" he said in a neutral tone. Even though he was concerned about Ichigo it didn't show in his voice. He wondered if Ichigo had been pushing himself too much lately and not asking for help from him, Ishida and Orihime. Chad had always vowed to use his fists to help Ichigo protect, but that wasn't always easy when Ichigo tried to burden everything by himself. But that was something that Chad admired about Ichigo as well.

"Heh, I'm fine Chad," Ichigo said with a grin and twisted his head to look up at Chad who even when sitting down towered over him. "Things have just been busy lately that's all. Lets go get a drink," Ichigo said cheerfully and energetically jumped to his feet.

Chad followed him in no particular hurry, his large steps easily keeping pace with Ichigo. "You seem preoccupied," Chad said as he drew level with Ichigo.

Ichigo laughed to himself as he thought of all of the trouble that Akatsuki caused him. "Nah, I'm fine Chad, you worry too much," Ichigo said happily and shrugged off Chad's concern.

"That's good," Chad replied simply. "But you still seem preoccupied."

"Its just you imagination," Ichigo said grinning and walked over to a drinks stall. "One orange juice," he said casually and flipped the attendant some money. He took the drink and immediately swallowed half the cup in one go and sighed happily. "Man that feels good."

"So, who's the girl?" Chad asked stoically.

Ichigo coughed as Chad asked the question and immediately looked behind him for Akatsuki, when he saw she wasn't there he looked to his left and right to try and find that annoying Hollow girl but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. Only then he realized that Chad was giving him a very curious look at his actions and he laughed to himself in what he hoped made him sound nonchalant but realized he most likely looked plain dumb. "What girl are you talking about Chad?" he said trying to sound casual as if he had not just looked around in a stress induced fit.

"Orihime said that she saw Rukia being dragged along by a girl the other," Chad said stoically and smiled at Ichigo. "I was wondering if you knew her that's all, is she a Shinigami working with Rukia?" Though he asked the question like he had intended to, or rather as Orihime had intended him too, he felt as if the answer was obvious from Ichigo's reaction to the question.

Ichigo scratched his head nervously and smiled confidently back at Chad. "Y, yeah, something like that I guess," he said uncertainly.

"You guess?" Chad replied curiously, Ichigo's nervousness was suspicious at the very least.

"Well err, you see that girl isn't a Shinigami but she umm definitely knows Rukia?" Ichigo rambled out, he knew how lame it sounded but Chad's question had really taken him by surprise and the answer had escaped before he had had time to think of a better answer. He looked into Chad's eyes and sighed, _'What the hell am I doing, if I can't tell Chad then whats wrong with me, besides, I think its better they meet her now anyway. She doesn't really have any friends other then me and Rukia.'_

"Ichigo are you OK?" Chad asked in concern.

"Chad," Ichigo said with a confident grin on his face and his eyes suddenly full of confidence, "About that girl, yeah I know her, in fact she's a..."

----------------------------------------------------------

"Hello Rukia-chan!" Isshin said enthusiastically as he reached forwards to hug her.

Rukia gracefully stepped back out of Ichigo's fathers reach and smiled warmly at him. "Is Ichigo or Akatsuki-san here?" Rukia asked in a cheerful voice. Though in truth she was in a great hurry and since she hadn't sensed Ichigo in the house or been able to get through to his phone she had to ask Isshin. She had received a very troubling report about a large spatial disturbance beginning to generate in Karakura town. Early reports suggested a large number of minor Hollow were trying to force an entrance into the town and she needed Ichigo.

"Sorry Rukia-chan, Ichigo left to go meet his friends a hour or two ago," Isshin said apologetically.

"Damn it!" she said under her breath, she really didn't have the time to waste looking for Ichigo. "Sorry but can you do me a favor Mr Kurosaki, I need you to keep Akatsuki-san in the Clinic until me or Ichigo get back," Rukia said forcefully as she turned away from Isshin. "If she complains tell her she can take it out on me later."

"Wait! Rukia-chan!" Isshin called after her which made her stop dead in her tracks. She quickly spun around and looked at him expectantly. "Akatsuki isn't here either," he said in a serious voice.

"What?" Rukia said in a suddenly worried voice.

"She said she going to go play with someone called the Mad Hatter," Isshin said in that same serious tone. Rukia didn't answer him and ran off down the road.

Rukia pulled her phone out of her inner pocket and flipped it open without taking time to stop. She guessed that by Mad Hatter Akatsuki most likely meant Urahara but that made the situation more grave. Rukia had been in Urahara's shop when she had first received the report and Akatsuki had been nowhere to be seen. "Damn it, not good!" she said to herself in between breathes and quickly entered Urahara's number into the phone.

The gray clouds that had been gathering released their torrent upon Karakura town. Rukia heard Urahara's phone pick up and before he could ask who was there Rukia almost shouted down the phone at him. "Is Akatsuki there!?"

"No, I'm pretty sure I'd notice, is she supposed to be?" Urahara said with mild concern at the tome of Rukia's voice.

"Damn," Rukia said and flipped the phone shut. In one fluid movement she re flipped the phone open and quickly entered Ichigo's number again while being careful to shield the phone from the ran that was starting to fall hard onto the town. In the distance she was sure she could hear the sound of Howling. "You better pick up Ichigo!"

----------------------------------------------------------

"Rain clouds?" Akatsuki said to herself as she looked up at the gathering storm clouds, only minutes ago the sky had been clear with the exception of the odd white cloud meandering across the sky. Only as she looked back down did she realize that everything had become far too quiet, she was alone on the road when only moments before there had been plenty of people going about their daily lives. But now it was all quiet and lonely.

"What's going on?" she said to herself curiously and reached out with her senses. Her eyes opened in shock as she realized that she really was alone. Nowhere around her could she feel any sign of life and the world was ominously quiet except for the sound of thunder rumbling over head.

Akatsuki grinned to herself and reached inside of her jacket until she found what she was looking for, a small light green sphere which was the real form of the Mod soul Kon. Without hesitation she flipped the sphere into her mouth and swallowed hard. As soon as she swallowed the two bodies separated from each other with red electrical discharge.

"Tch tch tch," Kon complained as he bent over and coughed. "Stop putting me in your pocket!" He looked at Akatsuki's dark expression and raised his arms out in front of him defensively but then lowered them slowly when he realized that Akatsuki's expression was serious rather then angry. "Akatsuki-chan?"

She looked up at the sky again and closed her eyes. "Kon," she said quietly but forcefully and turned to look at him, well, herself, she still wasn't use to that yet. "You need to leave, now, don't stop for anything!" she said and reached back towards the black case on Kon's back. Before her fingers reached the lid Kon grabbed her arm.

"Akatsuki," Kon said but wasn't able to say anything else as Akatsuki slapped his hand away harshly and looked at him with a dark expression.

"Run," she said looking at the floor, the lightning cracking overhead creating a shadow over her face.. "Its me they want, you should get away from me," she said to Kon with a smile.

Kon wanted to grab her hand and drag her along with him but he understood what she was trying to do and that smile made it all the more harder.

"_No time! Run! Get out of here!_" she heard Hakumei said in her mind. Akatsuki pulled the lid off the carrying case and pulled her sword free.

Akatsuki said nothing and ran, where she was running too she wasn't sure and common sense failed her. She knew now that she had walked into someones play, a stage which had been set ahead of time and if she were to be the tragic heroine then she knew that the actors would soon make their entrance. She ran and ran, not daring to look back in case she proved herself right until she ran into a large dead ended road. The lightning flashed across the sky to reveal a completely calm look on her face.

The thunder echoed across the sky as the light blinded all but for a brief moment. Behind Akatsuki three large Hollow stood upon the roofs looking down at her, the lightning reflecting off their armored bodies. Their claws and teeth bared at Akatsuki's back. And behind them, the silhouette of a woman stood ready, her arms crossed in front of her.

----------------------------------------------------------

"And now the curtain rises on our first act, will the tragic heroine survive the opening movement," Gin said maliciously, a broad grin spreading across his face.


	17. Unforgiving Eyes

_Twilight Marionette: -Groan-_

_Twilight Puppeteer: -Taps his foot impatiently-_

_Twilight Marionette: "Urgh, sorry for being so slow with this chapter, I've been very busy around the house for the last few weeks with decorating and stuff."_

_Twilight Puppeteer: "Very good, what else?"_

_Twilight Marionette: "To make up for it this chapter it is twice as long as I normally write them. So ummmmm like I hope my readers like it and thank you as always for the comments." -Bows-_

_Twilight Puppeteer: "Good job young Miss."_

_Twilight Marionette: "Even though I was going to write it this long anyway......"_

_Twilight Puppeteer: "Silence!"_

_Twilight Marionette: "Heeeeeeh! Since when did you say that!?"_

_**Chapter 17: Unforgiving Eyes**_

"What the hell?" Ichigo muttered under his breath as all around him the air was filled with the roaring of Hollow. In ever direction he could hear them, so many of them roaring and howling in unison, like a great army roused all at once. He looked up into the sky as the rain pored down on the glass roof and he watched as another burst of lightning raced across the sky, the thunder that followed seemed unnaturally loud.

Chad followed Ichigo's gaze and looked up the sky as well and he wondered what was happening, for the sky to become covered in storm clouds without warning was not something unheard of by no means but he was getting a bad feeling from this storm. Something felt wrong, almost unnatural and the way the Hollow were reacting to it as well suggested as much. "Ichigo," Chad said simply and turned to look at Ichigo.

Ichigo looked around himself again and was glad that a lot of the people around had suddenly left, though in the back of his mind that concerned him as well. Those of the living who were still around had reacted like any normal people would to a sudden storm and were now going about whatever it was they had been doing before. Ichigo was glad that they couldn't hear what he was hearing right now. He was about to reach into his inner pocket for his phone when he heard a familiar, annoyed voice.

"Ichigo! What's the point of having that thing if you don't leave it turned on!" Rukia shouted across at him as she ran towards Ichigo and Chad who looked back at her puzzled by her sudden appearance.

Ichigo sighed and shook his head at Rukia's embarrassing outburst but then realized that she was already out of her gigai and in her Shinigami form. He grimaced at how angry she looked right now as she came charging over towards him. He quickly reached back into his pocket and pulled out the device which passed as a phone and narrowed his eyes at it. "Damn thing is on," he said more to himself then Rukia as he mentally cursed it.

Rukia arrived beside them and looked at Ichigo triumphantly and smiled wickedly, she then quickly shook her head as she realized she was wasting time as well. "I've been trying to reach for a while now, luckily it didn't take long to track you down. Something strange is happening in the skies over Karakura town," Rukia said in a hurried yet calm voice.

"Do all of these Hollow have something to do with it?" Chad asked curiously and walked over towards Rukia and Ichigo.

"Unfortunately I have no idea, I haven't heard anything more about the situation yet from Soul Society," Rukia replied depressingly at her own lack of information. She looked around curiously but wasn't surprised at what she saw, she had already been told that Akatsuki had not gone with Ichigo but she had been hoping that this was one of those times when Akatsuki was, well, acting normally. She looked across at Chad in the corner of her eyes and wondered if Ichigo had said anything about Akatsuki to him or the others yet and knew she had to be careful. "I have no idea where she is, but I find it hard to believe that she isn't involved in this one way or the other," Rukia said carefully.

"That little," he started to say and stopped himself, he placed the palm of his hand on his face and sighed.

"Who are you talking about?" Chad asked curiously.

Ichigo and Rukia looked at each and then back at Chad but neither of them said anything at first. Ichigo was about to speak when Rukia grabbed his arm to stop him. "We don't have time for this now Ichigo, you father told me that she was heading to Urahara's shop but when I called Urahara on the way here to find you he said that she had never arrived," Rukia said seriously and looked up at Ichigo.

Ichigo looked down at Rukiaand then across at Chad who seemed to looking into the distance again. "Sorry Chad, I promise I'll explain everything to you later, I swear it. But right not a person I said I would look after is missing and we think that all of these Hollow might have been sent here for her," Ichigo said to Chad and smiled as Chad simply nodded at his words.

"If she's a friend of yours that's all you needed to say," Chad said stoically and smiled back at Ichigo.

"Thanks man," Ichigo said and patted Chad on the shoulder. Ichigo quickly turned to face Rukia, his expression had become serious now and Rukia returned his expression. "Can you use that phone of yours to find her?"

"Even under normal conditions I'm pretty sure that that would be impossible, that women is extremely hard to track. And with hundreds of signals in Karakura town there's pretty much no chance at all of finding her among all of these Hollow's," Rukia replied depressingly.

"Then we shouldn't waste any more time," Chad said seriously and started to run towards the exit of the shopping area.

Ichigo and Rukia followed him with their eyes and then looked back at each other. "Thanks Rukia," Ichigo said simply.

"There's no time to chat, lets go!" Rukia commanded him and ran off after Chad, hiding a little smile from Ichigo.

"What a pain," Ichigo said to himself and grinned as he ran out after Rukia and Chad.

* * *

Akatsuki span around in a flash of silver as she sliced straight through the first Hollow that reached her. Before she had even finished her rotation the second Hollow leaped through the fading image of the first Hollow, its claws thrust outwards like four long blades. The third Hollow roared furiously and leaped high into the air on a deadly arc towards Akatsuki. Its body hidden by the heavy rain.

As the second Hollow's claws reached Akatsuki the Hollow saw her head twist around to face it and she smiled warmly at it. She suddenly flashed from its view with a distinctive static sound following just after.

Akatsuki appeared it front of the third Hollow as it swooped down towards where she had been. Before it could react she thrust her open palm out forwards into the Hollows head with enough force to halt its downward momentum and push it back into the air. As she started to fall backwards down towards the ground Akatsuki slashed across her front straight into the Hollow's mask, her long Katana cleaving the mask clean in two. As she fell backwards she twisted in the air so that she was heading straight down towards the second Hollow.

The Hollow roared in anger and raised its long bladed fingers above itself defensively as it saw Akatsuki heading back down towards it with her Zanpakutoheld out to her side. The Hollow locked its eyes with hers.

Akatsuki took her sword into both hands and slashed straight down at the Hollow's guard. Her Zanpakuto cut straight through its metal fingers into its mask. Her sword cut through the Hollow's mask and body cut deeply into the ground. Its body fell to the sides in two clean halves as it dissipated into the rain filled air. Akatsuki pulled her sword free from the ground and ran her fingers along its blade and sighed sadly at killing one of her own kind. She heard the sound of clapping and spun around on the spot to where Otono had been and looked up her.

Otono clapped her hands at Akatsuki and smiled maliciously down at her from her rooftop position. "Oh my oh my, I see you haven't lost it after all, your Sword that it is," Otono said out loud and grinned at Akatsuki.

Akatsuki returned her grin with a confident smile but didn't say anything. She could tell even from this distance that Otono was annoyed by her lack of words. Akatsuki turned so that only her left side was facing Otono and she pointed her long Katana straight at Otono. All around she could hear the roars of too many Hollows to count and could sense even more, the whole town would soon be flooded with them.

"Looks like you noticed," Otono said and laughed confidently to herself as another four large Hollow appeared behind her and stood ready to attack, their eyes all locked on Akatsuki. "That boy won't interfere this time!"

* * *

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo roared as he swung his sword forwards towards the group of massed Hollows before him, the blue flame like wave burning them into nothingness as it swept on through them. He landed lightly and held Zangetsu out in front of himself as he waited for Rukia and Chad to land beside him.

"Why do you feel the need to waste power like that on such weak opponents?" Rukia scolded him as she landed gracefully next to Ichigo and walked out in front of him. She reached inside her Kimono and pulled out her communication device and flipped it out with one hand and looked intently at the screen.

"What's going on?" Chad asked plain and simply to Rukia and Ichigo as he walked over to stand next to Ichigo, his arm already in its defensive form. Chad was getting a bad feeling from the situation, especially since Ichigo and Rukia both seemed to be on edge over something and he guessed that it was related to whatever Ichigo was going to tell him just before everything turned tense.

"Heh, no idea at all," Ichigo said casually and shrugged his shoulders as if this were nothing to be concerned over. Chad smiled at Ichigo's laid back attitude and felt himself relax ever so slightly. Ichigo lowered his blade as he couldn't see any more more Hollow particularly close to them, though he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't know they were all around him, their howl's reverberated through the night air and their movements caused the rapidly forming puddles to ripple. "Rukia? Anything yet?"

Rukia jabbed at her phone violently and raised her arm to throw it against the concrete but resisted at the last second and lowered her arm. She looked at the phone accusingly and that at Ichigo in the same way which made him raise his arms in mock defence. She sighed heavily and shook her head as she placed the phone back inside her Kimono. "Communications are completely down, I cant contact anyone in the Seireitei at all and even the detection unit is starting to fail," Rukia said in a manner to convey just how serious the situation really was, "I have no idea what's causing it but it must be something pretty powerful to even affect the weather like this," she said looking up at the heavy storm clouds.

Chad looked around and them up at the sky as well. "Or the weather is somehow causing it instead," he said stoically.

"Huh?" Ichigo said, feeling slightly left out of this little conversation.

"Its possible," Rukia said cautiously and looked at Chad who seemed to have a very confident look on his face. When Chad looked serious it was very hard to doubt him Rukia thought to herself. "What makes you say that anyway?" she asked curiously as her eyes unconsciously scanned the area around them for the sources of all of the roars in the air. Even she was feeling slightly nervous about the way things were at the moment, with a unknown number of Hollow in Karakura town and no idea where they where or what they were doing it would be foolhardy to be confident.

Chad raised his muscular right arm into the air and pointed at a point in the sky to their far left. "That," he said simply but seriously.

Rukia and Ichigo both turned to look where his arm was pointing and followed the line of his finger into the sky. In the distance over the town there was a large swirling mass of black and grey clouds and they both realized as they looked in that direction that all of the clouds were moving around that point in the sky. Ichigo strained his eyes at the area underneath the violently moving clouds and found that he couldn't see very far beyond the edge, the interior hidden by either the rain or the darkness inside he wasn't quite sure.

"What's going on?" Rukia said to herself, her voice etched with concern.

Ichigo was about to start moving in direction and went to take a step when he suddenly stopped and looked around himself hastily. "We have company to deal with first," he said casually and spun Zangetsu around over his head and pointed it forwards at a body hidden in the shadows of the street.

Rukia looked around and realized that were slowly being surrounded by Hollow again, all around them Hollow were gathering as if drawn straight too them. She reached down to her side and wrapped her fingers loosely around the hilt of her Zanpakuto ready to draw it in a hurry.

Chad raised his fists defensively and stood ready, his keen eyes moving from Hollow to Hollow. "What should we do Ichigo?" he asked stoically.

Ichigo grinned and laughed to himself. "Isn't it obvious, we carry on heading forward!" he roared as he flash stepped towards the nearest Hollow, his sword slicing down into its body.

* * *

Akatsuki span around in mid air, slicing another Hollow clean in two as she continued to run away from Otono. Behind and all around her she could hear the frantic howling on her pursuers and more importantly she could hear Otono running on the rooftops parallel to her. She looked up at Otono in the corner of her eyes as she ran to find Otono looking down at her with a serious look of concentration.

Another Hollow leaped into the path in front of her and raised its claws to strike down at Akatsuki. As Akatsuki came close it swept the area in front of it with its powerful arms but failed to connect with Akatsuki. Akatsukiseemed to disappear from its sight in the moment that its arms swept in front of its own vision. A spit second later Akatsuki came from just underneath its head, striking upwards with a somersault kick, chipping the Hollow's mask and forcing it to flee to Heuco Mundo.

Akatsuki kept running but more and more Hollow kept coming for her and it was getting hard to keep going any more, her arms and legs were already tired and soon she wouldn't be able to run any further. She gritted her teeth as she entered a large open warehouse space and skidded to a sudden stop.

The moment she stopped three Hollow charged at her from three different directions and she closed her eyes as they were almost upon her.

Otono watched from a rooftop iron beam as the Hollow jumped on her, then a fraction of a moment later they fell away from her as saw the trail of Akatsuki's Zanpakutoslashing through the air all around, creating a cross shaped tear of white light on the bodies of each of the Hollow as they fell away from her, their bodies fading before they hit the ground. Otono smiled at the sight but inside frustration rose inside her, she didn't want this to be too easy but this was getting annoying. But either way she was going to win so she could afford to feel frustrated.

Akatsuki panted heavily and bent her body towards the ground. She was already starting to feel exhausted and that last attack hadn't helped. She let go of her Zanpakuto with one hand so the blades tip rested on the ground, her left arm was tired and shaking and she couldn't keep it held up. Her senses told her that in just a few moments she was surrounded again, she looked up into the din of the warehouse and could pick out Otono's silhouette from the shadows. She heard clapping from the rooftop and her eyes narrowed at the mockery.

"Cross Slash huh? Not bad, not bad at all, for a reject," Otono shouted down sarcastically, making sure to draw out the word reject. Akatsuki looked up at her but didn't react, though whether she was too tired or just not moved to Otono didn't know or care.

Akatsuki gripped her Zanpakuto tightly and flashed from view, appearing straight in front of Otono. She slashed straight down at Otono's face but the armoured claw of a Hollow that was hiding behind her blocked the blade .

Otono looked into Akatsuki's eyes, now only a short distance away and could see the uncontrolled anger there. Even though she had been blocked Akatsuki kept pushing down towards Otono, her arms shaking in exertion. Akatsuki suddenly released her two handed grip on her Zanpakuto with one hand and lunged her arm out towards Otono's neck. Her grip fell short and she was only able to grab onto the collar of Otono's kimono and pulled herself a little closer to Otono. Otono took the opening and grabbed Akatsuki's sword arm around the wrist and pushed so that Akatsuki's sword was pulled away from her body.

Otono pulled Akatsuki closer to her so that her mouth was by Akatsuki's head and she breathed gently into her ear, causing Akatsuki to shoot her an angry, wide eyed look. "Heh heh, caught you," she whispered gently into Akatsuki's ear. "You'll never hit me if you kept hesitating like that."

Akatsuki saw movement in the corner of her eyes but was too slow to react. A large hammer like fist crushed into her side, forcing the air from her chest. Her eyes stayed open in shock as her body was slammed hard to the side, causing her to lose her grip on her Zanpakuto as she tumbled rapidly down towards the wall of the warehouse. She screamed as her body slammed into the wall, her body smashing a hole through it on impact. Her body hit the wet ground outside hard and she rolled a long way before coming to a stop.

Akatsuki lay flat on the wet ground, the rain pouring down on her back, her hair spread out and covered in mud. She opened her left eye and without moving was able to see the hole where she had been sent flying through, though her vision was blurred and it was hard to keep her eye open. She tried to move but her body just trembled. She could sense a large host of Hollow gathered behind and around her, only the hole in the wall was unoccupied.

Otono walked over to Akatsuki's helpless body which was just laying there on its front and stood a few metres in front of her. She looked down at Akatsuki and shook her head. She held Akatsuki's fallen Zanpakuto in her grip and levelled it front of herself so that she could admire it now that it was hers. It was a clear foot longer then a normal Katana and almost twice as long as her own, its blade reflected her face even in this dismal light.

Akatsuki looked up helplessly at Otono as she clicked her fingers to the Hollow. Akatsuki gasped as she felt something heavy slammed into her back to pin her in place. It reached down to her side ripped her hilt from her side and threw it towards Otono who caught it in her other hand. She felt the pressure on her back relent as the Hollow moved off of her.

Otono looked at the sheath and cursed Akatsuki under her breath for having such a nice looking Zanpakuto. She sheathed the blade and threw it over to one of the Hollow to her side who caught it nervously and held it by its sheath as if scared of its hilt.

"Why Aizen-sama favours you so much I'll never know, a reject like you," she said grinning at Akatsuki.

"I'm not a reject," Akatsuki said weakly but with determination in her eye.

"Ohhhh what was that, I couldn't hear you Akatsuki-san," Otono said sarcastically and looked down at her.

"I'm not a reject!" Akatsuki replied more forcefully this time and looked up Otono angrily.

Otono's expression hardened as Akatsuki looked back up at her, even with her face and hair covered in blood and dirt she felt that Akatsuki was still looking down at her and it made her angry. "Stop looking down on me! How dare you look down on me!" she shouted at Akatsuki and strode over towards her. She knelt down and gripped hold of Akatsuki's hair just above her head and yanked her head and body upwards so that they were face to face, Akatsuki barely standing, held up mostly by Otono's grip.

Akatsuki's expression didn't change and she just looked into Otono's eyes. She didn't hate Otono or what Otono was doing, she knew what kind of position Otono must be in. Though Otono had never liked her she knew that Otono had never truly hated her either. She reached up slowly with her right hand and gently placed her hand on Otono's cheek. Otono's emotions flowed into her and she smiled kindly. She looked at Otono with eyes full of understanding and pity. "I'm sorry, Otono-chan," she said softly.

Otono grimaced and struck Akatsuki across the face with the back of her free hand. Akatsuki turned her head back so that she was facing Otono again, her one open eye still looking back at her with pity. Otono glared at Akatsuki and threw her body to the floor. "Stop looking at me like that!" she shouted and pulled Akatsuki to her knees by her hair again.

"I'm sorry, but," Akatsuki started to say.

"Shut up and stop looking at me!" Otono shouted and swung the back of her hand at Akatsuki again. Otono's eyes opened wide as she felt her arm suddenly come to a stop, Akatsuki's hand griping tightly to her wrist with such unexpected force that she couldn't move. She looked into Akatsuki's eyes and saw that same red as before start to pollute the gold of her eyes, her hair turning gold from the roots downwards. The air started to distort with Akatsuki's reiatsu and Otono tried to pull herself free but couldn't even budge. Akatsuki closed her eyes and smiled, but it wasn't a kind smile this time.

The Hollow gathered around felt unable to move in the sudden build of reiatsu, but more then that they were scared.

Akatsuki's eyes suddenly opened. Her deep crimson eyes glowing in the darkness.

* * *

"Damn it! They just keep coming!" Ichigo complained as he cleaved another Hollow's mask in two. Without looking behind he spun his sword so that its blade was point behind him and slammed it backwards into the mask of another Hollow. Ichigo turned his head onto its side as he heard another Hollow bounding towards him, its roars cutting through the sound of the rain. Ichigo narrowed his eyes as it got closer but didn't react to it. As it got closer the Hollow was pounded into the ground by a strong pulse of blue energy which sent the Hollow spinning across the ground. A moment later Chad landed next to Ichigo and nodded his head and Ichigo shot him a grin.

"It's like their homing in on us," Chad pointed out with no sign of worry in his voice. He heard the sound of ice shattering like glass and a moment later Rukia landed behind Ichigo.

"It doesn't make any sense," Rukia said as she sliced into another Hollow that came running towards her with its teeth bared. Her sword left a light blue trail as it passed cleanly and silently through the Hollow's body. "If they were here to attack us or Ichigo why would they attack us with so many weak Hollow?" Rukia mused to herself out loud.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked curiously as he ran forward towards another group of Hollow. He slammed the tip of Zangetsu straight into the mask of the middle Hollow and as the other two tried to come at him from the sides he twisted the blade onto its side and ripped it free it one side ways motion, he span the blade a full circle catching the other two Hollow as he went. Just as he finished the spin another two Hollow jumped down at him from above, intent of ambushing him before he regain his stance. Ichigo simply drew Zangetsu out it front of him and released his energy in a arc of blue energy which ripped through both Hollow in one quick downwards cut.

"Its obvious that no matter how many of these Hollow come at us that they aren't going to win and the further we head towards that mass of storm clouds the more they push against us!" Rukia shouted across to Ichigo and Chad as she parried a blow from a Hollow twice her size.

"I see," Chad said simply as his Giant's fist slammed into the mask of a Hollow which had tried to take on Rukia from behind.

"You mean," Ichigo said as he jumped backwards so that his back was against Rukia's and he stood with Zangetsu raised defensively. "That these guys are just messing with us to slow us down!" Ichigo hissed through clenched teeth. Even if they were Hollow it didn't sit well him that someone could send so many to a pointless death. "All for a distraction!?" he grunted to himself.

"You should go on without us Ichigo," Chad said calmly as he slowly backed up towards Rukia and Ichigo so that all three of them were back to back with each other.

"Chad," Ichigo said softly as he heard his friends words.

Rukia smiled confidently to herself and held her Katana out in front her defensively as more Hollow started to slowly circle the three of them. "Chad's right Ichigo, we'll be fine, don't go thinking that were helpless with you," Rukia said sarcastically while smiling to herself.

"I won't pretend to know what's going on Ichigo, but someone, a friend of yours is in trouble over there right," Chad said as a statement rather then a question and nodded with determination to himself.

"A friend," Ichigo repeated to himself. "Yeah, something like that."

"Then go!" Chad said forcefully which made Ichigo jump slightly at the emotion behind his voice, he smiled slightly and raised his fists ready to attack. "Just promise me one thing Ichigo," he said stoically.

"Yeah! What's that?" Ichigo said with a wide grin on his face, he turned his head slightly so that he could see Chad.

"Heh, I want to meet her, if she's your friend, she's our friend too," Chad said kindly and smiled back at Ichigo.

"She's such a problem," Ichigo said out loud.

"But she's a problem worth saving right," Chad said confidently and Ichigo nodded back at him.

"I'm counting on you guys!" Ichigo shouted as he stabbed Zangetsu into the ground and released a large burst of his spiritual energy, the blast blowing away the Hollow closest to them and blinding for a single moment the Hollow that had circled around them. Ichigo used shunpo and flashed out of view towards the circling mass of black clouds. "You better not be dead!" he said to himself and grinned.

Behind him Ichigo heard the sound of hundreds of Hollow's roaring and was tempted to turn back and help his friends but knew that they would only get angry at him for not trusting in them to have his back. As he flashed from rooftop to rooftop he was aware that a good many Hollow had realized that that he had made a break for it and had began to follow him, their roars echoing behind him angrily as they tried to keep pace with him. Ichigo knew they couldn't but was all too aware that a great many more Hollow were waiting for him ahead and he gritted his teeth.

* * *

Otono felt her body freeze again under the glare of those dark crimson eyes, but not only that, she felt herself becoming unstable, as if she would go mad if she carried on looking into them. But this time it was different, there was no Kurosaki Ichigo and she had plenty of Hollow to throw at Akatsuki. Otono smiled grimly and Akatsuki returned her grin with a kind smile. "Its too late, you can't win with any cheap tricks now Akatsuki, even if you kill me these Hollow will defeat you!" Otono said confidently. She motioned with a movement of her eyes and the mass of Hollows charged towards Akatsuki just as the last of her red hair had turned to golden yellow.

Otono's eyes opened wide in shock as for a split second the world seemed to turn to negative colours and Akatsuki flashed from her view. At the same moment black lines appeared across the chests and masks of the Hollow, as if each one had been sliced by a blade. The world reverted to colour and all of the lead Hollow screamed as their bodies faded from the world of the living. "What the!?" Otono managed to say. Otono heared the sound of footsteps on the rain soaked ground and in one clean movement drew her Zanpakuto and span her body around, bringing her sword down against Akatsuki's Zanpakuto's sheath. She felt her arm jar as her sword landed hard, Akatsuki's sword arm barely moving at all.

"Heeeeeeeh," Akatsuki sounded as Otono's blade hit her own, her own sword raised sideways across the front of her body. "How violent of you Otono-san," Akatsuki said happily and without any sign of concern in her voice. She twisted her head upwards slightly so that she was looking down at Otono.

Otono gritted her teeth in effort at holding her sword in place against Akatsuki's. Though Akatsuki's words were spoken with a light heart and almost sounded as if the situation were completely innocent, her eyes were completely different. They looked at Otono with a savage intensity, almost as if she were looking straight into Otono's innermost soul and she felt a shiver run down her spine. Those eyes, those were the eyes of the insane. And what she had said didn't sound right, Akatsuki had always referred to her affectionately, but now suddenly she spoke with respect, even though it was insincere. "Akatsuki? No, no your not, what are you?" she said uncertainly.

"I'm me," Akatsuki said innocently and with very little effort pushed Otono back across the ground with one movement of her sword. "Who are you?" she asked and smiled cheerfully.

Otono held her sword in front of her and locked her eyes of Akatsuki who simply stood there smiling happily with her eyes closed. She looked to the left and right to make sure what remained of her Hollow stood ready behind her. And then without warning she attacked.

Otono's sword flew free from her hands and she pointed towards Akatsuki who was still standing innocently without any thought to defending herself. The sword slammed into Akatsuki's chest and launched her backwards towards the warehouse's outer wall, pinning her in place. Otono then formed a fist with her hands and pulled her hand back towards her as if she were pulling on a rope.

From Akatsuki's shadow five lines of black light were pulled free and flew over to Otono where they hovered in front of her. She opened her fist and spread her fingers out as wide as she could. As she did so, the five lines of fiery shadow solidified into five identical copies of her Katana, as they took on the shape fully they gained colour and became as solid as the original. She brought her fingers back together so the tips of her fingers were pointing at the impaled Akatsuki and thrust her hand forwards.

The five blades flew through the air and each one slammed into one of Akatsuki's limbs, the last punching into her stomach. Akatsuki's head hung limply and she just stood there. As Otono turned around to walk away she heard a faint sound of movement behind her and she quickly turned to face Akatsuki who to her relief hadn't moved.

"Heeeeeeeh," Akatsuki said in a cheerful voice and started to laugh to herself, she lifted her head up and smiled at Otono.

"What the," Otono started to say and she realized that her swords hadn't penetrated Akatsuki's skin. She quickly performed a complex series of hand movements which made her swords pull free from Akatsuki and hover back in front of her. "Hierro!? When did you you have such a strong Hierro?" she said to Akatsuki. To the best of her knowledge Akatsuki's steel skin was non existant in its effect to block even weak attacks.

Akatsuki didn't say anything and just stared back at Otono with a happy smile of her face, her red eyes giving off a completely different feeling which made Otono take a step backwards.

"Tch!" Otono hissed and performed another series of complex hand movements which caused her blades of split apart again. "Dodge these!" she shouted and flung her hands forwards. The blades shot straight towards Akatsuki but at the last second they all veered off into different directions and shot into the air. Akatsuki didn't react at all and just stood staring at Otono. "Stop staring at me!" she shouted louder then she had intended too and made a circular motion with her fore finger in the air and then shot her hand down so that her one finger was pointing at Akatsuki.

All of the blades, which had been spinning above Akatsuki shot down towards like a hail of deadly rain. The blades slammed into the place where Akatsuki was with such force that the water on the ground was sent flying into the air. As the water fell back to the ground Otono was able to see all of her sword stuck into the ground around Akatsuki, each one at a slightly different angle as it had bounced off Akatsuki's Hierro. She looked up at Akatsuki who closed her eyes and grinned back at her.

Akatsuki lifted her sheathed sword up towards her free hand and she casually gripped hold of the hilt. She slowly drew the blade from the sheath, as she did red sparks flew from the top of the sheath as the sword was pulled free. An awful screeching of metal filled the air.

Otono watched that as it left the sheath it became a long, slightly curved black metal pole. As the tip was pulled free Otono had to cover her eyes as a burst of red electrical light exploded. A large curved black blade was at the end of the long black shaft of metal, revealing a large scythe which was slightly taller then Akatsuki herself, leaning on her shoulder as she held it with one hand. Behind her her long blond hair seemed to move like fire and the rain no longer touched her body. Otono pulled her hands back quickly to summon her swords back to her side where they floated defensively just in front of her.

"Its nice to meet you Otono-san, my name is Hakumei. Lets play together Otono-san!" Akatsuki said in a childish yet malicious tone of voice and she flashed from sight, a brief static marking the step. She appeared just in front of Otono and slammed the huge scythe straight down towards Otono's head.

* * *

Ichigo flashed through another group of Hollow's before they could react to him. He realized that they were only reacting to him and that if he kept going they would just chase him so at least he didn't have to worry about them attacking anyone else. Only a minute or two away from him was the swirling black and gray mass of clouds and what he assumed to be the cause of this pointless confusion.

No matter how hard he tried Ichigo was unable to sense anything at all from that place, as if it were being hidden from his senses by some mechanism he didn't understand. The fact that he could still see underneath the clouds but was unable to sense any reiatsu at all told him that whatever barrier was in effect had been placed to only affect spiritual beings but for what reason he couldn't begin to guess.

Ichigo gripped onto Zangetsu's hilt tighter as he was about to reach what he guessed was the threshold of the barrier and he took another step forwards. "What the hell is going on?" Ichigo muttered to himself as he launched himself into his next step.

A heavy feeling overcame his head and a voice from deep with his mind reached its way to the surface, its sarcastic words left no doubt as to who it was. _"Where are you looking?"_Hollow Ichigo asked curiously.

"Huh?" Ichigo said taken by surprise, his inner Hollows voice made him look around him and saw a flash of light rapidly approaching him. He twisted his body in mid air and raised Zangetsu's wide blade in front of his body defensively just as the speck of light suddenly flew towards him with great speed and accuracy. The tip of the rapidly expanding sword slammed into Zangetsu with great force and Ichigo was sent flying backwards as the sword pushed him with little effort. Ichigo's body slammed into the wall of a building behind him, the force pushing the air from his lungs and making him gasp. However his grip of Zangetsu never even faltered.

_"Your reflexes are so bad Ichigo, what were you doing?"_the Hollow said sarcastically in Ichigo's mind.

Ignoring his inner Hollows taunts Ichigo pushed Zangetsu away from his body slightly with some effort. He knew of only one person who pull off a trick like that and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Gin!" Ichigo shouted in anger.

As if on cue Ichimaru Gin came towards him following the form of his sword, the blade seemingly being absorbed back into the hilt as he moved towards Ichigo. He landed slowly and gracefully on the rooftop of the building Ichigo had been about to land on when he had attacked and walked over to the ledge, making sure to keep his Zanpakuto pressed against Ichigo. Gin placed a foot of the ledge and looked over and down at Ichigo who was pinned to the wall by his Zanpakuto's tip. "Well hello there Kurosaki Ichigo," Gin said happily with a smile on his face.

"Ichimaru Gin!" Ichigo hissed through clenched teeth as he struggled to push Gin's sword away from him enough so that he could get away from the wall.

"Oh my, you don't sound very happy to see me," Gin said sarcastically and grinned down at Ichigo. He watched in amusement as Ichigo ignored him and merely narrowed his eyes at Gin aggressively. "And after I came all of this way and waited for you for so long," Gin carried on and waved his free hand around dramatically.

Ichigo could feel his anger raising at the sound of Gin's snake like voice and then evil grin spread across his face. "What the hells going on!?" Ichigo shouted at Gin as he pushed against Gin's Zanpakuto again. _'Why didn't I notice the bastard?' _he thought to himself and bit his lip for being so careless as to let someone as strong as Gin catch him by surprise. "Oh that's right, the barrier," Ichigo said to himself and a smile emerged in the corner of his lips.

Gin saw Ichigo start to smile even though he was being pinned to the wall and it annoyed him a lot, though he was careful not to let his expression slip. "Why are you so happy?" he asked in a oily voice which only a complete idiot would believe was a serious question, his only reason for being here was to play with Kurosaki Ichigo before he had to leave for Hueco Mundo. Though he was sure that Ichigo could not sense it himself he was fairly certain that Otono's trap was working to weaken Akatsuki. However he had little faith in his subordinate succeeding.

"I'm just so happy to see you here," Ichigo said sarcastically and returned Gin's grin.

"Well I thought you might be," Gin replied in the same tone as Ichigo, though his eyes opened slightly.

"You want to know why?" Ichigo asked happily as he pushed Ichimaru's sword back a little further.

Gin made no attempt to push back and effortlessly kept the pressure up on Ichigo. "Do tell," he said with fake curiosity. He could feel Ichigo's reiatsu raising slightly, little by little his sword was starting to give way and he had to admit to himself that Ichigo was as impressive as ever, even if he was a fool.

Ichigo didn't reply and lowered his head slightly so that his upper face was obscured by shadow, the rain flowing down his face in little rivers from his hair. He smiled to himself confidently. "Bankai!" he shouted forcefully. His reiatsu burst forth from his body in a cyclone of red and black energy and swirled around him, his outfit in the blink of an eye changing to his long black coat and his sword shrinking into its long sword form. As his Bankai completed, the black and red energy around was sent exploding outwards with great force, crushing the wall behind him.

Gin felt his sword suddenly push forward and realized that Ichigo had broken free from his hold and he quickly swept his sword around behind him, the blade effortlessly slicing through the building into which it had flown when Ichigo broke his hold. He felt Ichigo appear behind him just as he managed to swing his body around and sparks flew violently as the two blades crashed against each other. Gin grinned at Ichigo and forcefully sliced in the same direction he had been moving, easily throwing Ichigo away. He used shunpo to quickly leap into the air but Ichigo was too fast and came straight at him before he had barely started to move, the speed of his Bankai too much even for Gin.

Ichigo assaulted Gin with a rapid series of slices and heavy blows as he followed him up into the air, making sure to avoid the almost infinite reach of Gin's Zanpakuto. He kept cutting at Gin, each blow that Gin parried or blocked forcing him further up into the air. No matter how hard he tried though he couldn't break through Gin's defense and Gin's eyes remained virtually closed and he carried of grinning calmly at Ichigo.

Gin blocked another of Ichigo's attacks with little effort and with each attack it was getting easier and easier. Ichigo suddenly sliced downwards at Gin and Gin made to attack straight through the opening that Ichigo had suddenly left. However as his sword sliced across towards Ichigo's chest Ichigo flashed from sight.

Ichigo's feint had worked and Gin had fallen for it, allowing Ichigo to slip behind Gin and he attacked with a downward cut before Gin had time to react. Ichigo's heart missed a beat as Gin's head suddenly turned to face him with that same confident grin on his face and Ichigo cursed as he saw Gin's sword following the movement of Gin's head and he knew he couldn't defend quick enough to block him. Ichigo grimaced as part of Gin's sword cut into the side of his lower chest, his own sword barely able to return to his side in time to defend himself. Pain shot up the side of his body but Ichigo didn't have time to notice.

Gin grinned as Ichigo winced in pain as his sword cut into his side but Gin knew that his attack had failed and before Ichigo had time to react pulled his blade free from Ichigo's side.

Ichigo was forced to blink in pain and as he opened his eyes again realized that Gin had spun around was going to do the same to his other side. He quickly defended his other side from Gin's sword, the force of which sent him flying backwards towards the ground. The force knocked both of his arms out away from the center of his body and he was left defenseless for a moment.

Gin instantly held his sword out in front of him and smiled down at Ichigo's expression before rapidly extending his sword down towards Ichigo. The sword slammed into Ichigo's body and pushed him towards the rooftop. Ichigo crashed into the rooftop, water and debris exploding high into the air. "Oh dear, that looked dangerous," Gin said to himself and smiled wickedly.

Gin tried to recall his sword but it didn't move, he moved his arm backwards but the blade simply shook from the effort. He looked back down into the place where he had slammed Ichigo and he realized that his sword hadn't reacted fast enough. Ichigo had stopped the blade from cutting into his body with just one hand and he looked back up at Gin with those black and gold eyes from behind his mask. Gin's grin disappeared from his face and he gritted his teeth.

"Whats wrong Gin?" Ichigo asked sarcastically, his voice distorted by the sound of the mask to its evil pitch. Before Gin could answer or respond Ichigo pushed Gin's sword to the side and flipped to his feet. He flashed up towards Gin and cut at him with far greater force then before.

Gin managed to barely block but the force of Ichigo's attack sent him flying backwards at great speed, sparks of black and red erupting from the contact of the two swords as they passed by each other. Ichigo was instantly upon him again and Gin, not having time to attack back was forced onto the defensive. Gin feinted an attack and used Ichigo's reaction to quickly step backwards to gain distance between them. This time Ichigo didn't fall for it and just floated in mid air, his black coat billowing in the strong wind, those yellow eyes staring right through Gin. "Impressive I guess," Gin said sarcastically and his grin returned to his face.

Ichigo swung his sword up and rested it on his shoulder. Then in a instant he used his mask's incredible speed to move behind Gin and cut at him. This time Gin wasn't fast enough to attack back and was forced to block, sparks flying between the blades. "I don't have time to deal with you Gin!" he said calmly and he pushed down against Gin's sword.

Gin's grin widened at Ichigo's choice of words and he moved his head closer to Ichigo's mask. "That's right Kurosaki Ichigo, I wonder how much longer you have to save her," he said in an oily voice. "You better hurry up."

Ichigo didn't reply to the taunt and quickly gathered his reiatsu into his sword and released it in a burst of heavy spiritual energy. "Getsuga Tenshou!" he roared as the attack erupting from his sword as he sliced down against Gin's sword. Gin was sent flying downwards and Ichigo flew straight down at him, his long coat trailing behind him like a black flame.

Gin grimaced as he was knocked backwards and he looked to his side as he fell. Ichigo probaly couldn't see it but he could tell that the barrier was starting to fail. Nearly invisable cracks were appearing and spreading out. If he didn't leave soon he would be detected by Soul Society and then things would really get interesting. He landed gracefully and slowly skidded to a stop.

Ichigo landed opposite him, his long black coat sounded like large bird's wings flapping as he came to a stop, his coat blowing in the heavy wind to his side. His yellow eyes looked at Gin with neither anger or malice. He gripped his sword tighter in one hand and let it point towards the ground. "Get out of my way Gin!" he snarled with his distorted voice.

Gin's grin turned into a happy smile and he shrugged innocently. He wanted to mess with Ichigo some more but he knew that there was a good chance that Ichigo would defeat him in his current form and besides that, he was running out of time. And after all, he didn't come here to try and defeat Ichigo so he felt there was no point in fighting for much longer. Gin turned so that his side was facing Ichigo and vaguely pointed his arm in the direction that Otono and Akatsuki were in. "By all means," he said evilly and mocked Ichigo by bowing his slightly.

Ichigo didn't trust Gin and didn't make a move, sure it was some kind of trap that Gin was inviting him in to. Then Ichigo realized that the rain was no longer falling on Gin or the area he was standing in. A tear appeared in the air behind Gin from which a deeper darkness flowed, opening slowly at first and then it ripped open like a mouth opening.

Gin casually turned away from Ichigo and walked into the dark light of the gateway to Hueco mundo. Once he was inside he twisted his head and body so that he was looking at Ichigo over his shoulder and he grinned at Ichigo. "Buhbye now Kurosaki Ichigo, I do hope your not too late," he said in a oily voice and then the gateway slammed shut like a mouth closing. The tear repaired itself in a few seconds and the rain once again feel.

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed and flew into the air. "What the hell is going on!?"

* * *

Hakumei stood over Otono, her scythe point impaling Otono's shoulder to the ground. The wind and rain seemed to swirl around her as if it itself was caught in a storm.

Otono couldn't move, that large black scythe blade was coated in that same red light that shone deep in Hakumei's eyes and it paralysed her body from her head to her toes. She felt Hakumei's reiatsu bearing down on her body, it was so heavy that she felt it would crush her at any moment. She looked up into those crimson red eyes, full of amusement and malice, her evil grin spread across her face. "I wont! I wont beg you!" she stuttered out through clenched teeth.

Hakumei twisted the scythe slightly in her grip making Otono cry in pain as the blade pushed against her shoulder. She leaned into Otono so that her face was over top of Otono's, her long golden yellow hair falling over the top and sides of her head so that it shielded both Hakumei and Otono from the rain and the wind. She closed her eyes and smiled innocently at Otono.

Otono felt her body start to shake, though whether from fear or the pain she could no longer be sure, everything was starting to become blurred. Those eyes contained such malice and rancour yet she could feel no such feelings from Hakumei, or was it Akatsuki, she didn't know how it worked. "Why don't you kill me!? I'll never help you traitor!" she said harshly but knew that her voice had shaken.

"Heeeeeeeeh," Hakumei hummed with that innocent smile, "Is it OK for you to wish for that?" she said sweetly yet sarcastically. She pulled away from Otono so that she was standing over her again and pulled the large black scythe free which caused Otono to wince in pain again. In one fluid motion she slowly raised the scythe up over her head so that she was holding it straight up into the air.

Otono looked up at her again, that same innocent, childish happy smile still on her face. Her long golden hair flowed around behind her like golden fire, ignoring the movement of the wind itself. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the world in white light and for a moment Otono was sure that she saw a figure floating to the right of Hakumei, a vague image, almost like a ghost, floating just behind her. Otono blinked her eyes against the rain.

Hakumei giggled childishly to herself and brought her free hand up towards her mouth and covered it with her over sized Kimono sleeve. "Die," she said in a serious, unemotional tone and opened her deep red eyes which looked down at Otono with neither malice nor hate. In one clean swift movement she swung the scythe down towards Otono's prone form.

Otono closed her eyes tight as she saw the scythe glint as it began its deadly descent towards her. After a few seconds she realized that she hadn't been killed and she cautiously opened one eye, then two to see Hakumei stood over her with both hands wrapped tightly around the scythe, the tip of the large blade a mere instance from her throat, the blade perfectly still. Rain ran down the smooth metal and dripped onto her body. "Huh?" she questioned cautiously.

"Why?" Hakumei said to herself in a neutral tone of voice. "Why not!?" she repeated again though this time frustration leaked into her voice. She was trying to push down with all of her might but could not move even a tiny amount.

Otono looked up at Hakumei, her face hidden behind the shadow from her hair. Her expression was neither a smile nor a strained grimace, rather to Otono is looked perfectly neutral as if in deep concentration.

Hakumei slowly stood back upright, the scythe pulling away from Otono's throat as she did so by virtue of her standing alone.

"Heeeeeeeeeh," Hakumei said to herself and smiled evilly down at the helpless Otono, her red eyes staring right through her. "Are you sure?" she said out loud sarcastically. In one swift series of motions Hakumei spun the scythe around with only one hand, and then slashed the blade down towards Otono's head with both hands. The tip of the black blade halted just above Otono's skin again.

Otono looked up at Hakumei through water filled eyes but she could tell that Hakumei was no longer in control, or at least in full control of her body. The scythe shook ever so slightly in her hands as she tried to fight against whatever it was that was holding her back. Her hair was no longer pure golden blond, instead pale red was starting to spread outwards from the tips of her roots, as if someone had spilt red dye on her head. Otono could no longer stay awake and her head fell to the side as she fell unconcious.

"I see, if that's what you really want," Hakumei said to herself despairingly, she shook her head and smiled. Her eyes started to turn pale gold, the colour sweeping gently over the red of her eyes. She looked back down at Otono and smiled. As the last of the blond hair was overcome by Akatsuki' pale red tones. She looked down at the unconscious Otono and sighed, her scythe disappearing into a blackened red mist before before clattering to the ground next toher back in its sword form. She clutched hold of her chest and laughed quietly to herself. "I'm sorry Ichigo, I'm just not that strong," she said to herself and fell forwards to the ground side by side with Otono.


	18. Its nice to meet you?

_**Twilight Marionette: Hello everybody! As always thank you for reading my story and I'm glad people liked the longer chapter.**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: Your starting to get the hang of this stuff it seems. -nods head-**_

_**Twilight Marionette: But you know, don't count on long chapters all of the time, I'm a very weak willed person you know. -sighs-**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: I take it all back.**_

_**Twilight Marionette: S s s silence!**_

_**Chapter 18: Its nice to meet you all?**_

Urahara stood in the doorway of his shop and home and looked up at the sky. It was still raining heavily but now it was different, this storm didn't feel unnatural anymore and he smiled as he watched the gray clouds float by overhead. All he could hear was the gentle rhythm of the rain and the sounds of a town going on as if nothing had happened. He smiled and shook his head to himself. "Looks like everything has been resolved for today," he said to himself and turned around to walk back into the cover of his store when he felt someone appear behind him.

Urahara turned his head around to see Ichigo standing there in the rain, Akatsuki's limp body held in both of his arms, her head nestled against his shoulder.

* * *

Gin strode down the long winding corridors of Las Noches with a contented grin on his face. He moved with purpose and haste, his long white coat, slightly torn from his fun with Kurosaki Ichigo trailing behind him in the air. Over his shoulder Otono had been slung rather ungracefully as he carried her along. Most would find it unusual for someone like him to rescue one of his own subordinates and indeed he hadn't done it out of the kindness of his heart, he just wanted to know what she saw and experienced to leave her cut up so badly. It had been a hassle binding the worst of her wounds and he would make her make it up to him at some later time, of that he had no doubt.

Gin turned another corner as he headed back towards his own area of Las Noches when he suddenly stopped and stood perfectly still. He didn't look left or right and just stood perfectly still. His grin became excited and he laughed casually to himself. It was hard for most people to sense him but not for Gin who was used to his silent movements and secretive nature. "Its not nice to sneak up on people you know," Gin said with a barely hidden menace in his voice. He turned his head around so that he could see Ulquiorra in the corner of his eyes stood behind him as if he had been there since Gin arrived back. _'And maybe he had,' _Gin thought to himself and he turned his body face his stalker.

Ulquiorra ignored Gin's obvious attempt at being sarcastic and merely watched him turn around. "What are you doing?" Ulquiorra asked in a flat tone of voice, his eyes wandered to the Arrancar female slumped over his shoulder and back to Gin's narrowed eyes.

"Curious are we?" Gin asked in an oily voice.

Ulquiorra ignored the question and continued to stare at Gin with his dark green eyes, all but devoid of any emotion. He stared into Gin's eyes for a moment longer and then simply turned around and walked away from him back down the corridor with his hands in his coat pockets. As he was about to leave Gin's sight he heard Gin use Shunpo and felt him appear behind him, the movement making his coat move in the slight breeze that the movement left behind. Ulquiorra stopped and stood waiting with an uninterested expression on his face.

Gin stood casually back to back with Ulquiorra, Otono still slumped unconsciously over his shoulder. "I'll tell you if you ask nicely," Gin said in a serious tone of voice.

Ulquiorra ignored his attempt at deception and carried onto walking away from Gin, already losing interest in Gin's little games today. "Aizen-sama is waiting for you," he said stoically and flashed out of Gin's presence.

Gin grinned to himself and opened his eyes. "Your no fun at all," he said playfully out loud and carried on on his way. "You really need to lighten up a little."

* * *

Akatsuki opened her eyes slowly, a gentle and warm light shone into her eyes and she felt its warmth spreading throughout her body. It made her heart and soul feel light, as if all of the weight of the world could no longer reach her. She tried to look through the orange light but her eyes couldn't open any further against its brightness. Akatsuki slowly turned her head onto its side and was able to see a person on the other side of the light.

Her head felt awful and she couldn't be sure if what she was seeing was even real but it seemed to be a young girl with long orange hair. She seemed to be talking gently to Akatsuki but Akatsuki couldn't hear anything at all, all she could do was to watch her lips move. Behind the girl she was aware of the silhouettes of other people, the light making it hard to see them and see looked back to the girl who was now looking at her expectantly. Akatsuki wondered if she had said something, or had the orange haired girl said something to her, she wasn't sure at all.

Akatsuki tried to get up but her body wouldn't respond and the best she could do was too raise her left hand slightly. Her arm shaked badly as she tried to raise it and she let it drop the few centimeters it had risen back to the ground. The girl seemed to notice her attempt to move and said something else to her, but again she heard nothing and even the features of her face were unclear to Akatsuki's heavy eyes. The best she could do was to turn her eyes towards where she guessed the girls eyes where.

The girl nodded kindly and reached down towards Akatsuki's hand with her own and wrapped her fingers around Akatsuki's own and lifted her hand up. Akatsuki did her best to smile, the warmth of the girls fingers brought a little life back to her senses and she was able to feel the girls caring emotions through her hand. She was about to try and say something to the girl when a sudden and intense pain shot through her body and caused her to arc her back against the ground. The orange light faded and she fell back to the floor, her head landing on its side. The strange girl knelt down and brought her head down to the ground so that she was face to face with Akatsuki. To Akatsuki she seemed to be panicking about something and was talking to her frantically but her soundless words were lost on Akatsuki as the pain washed over her. She felt her eyes shut and the world went dark once again.

* * *

"Akatsuki-san? Akatsuki-san!?" Orihime shouted to Akatsuki as she lay with her head on its side, her eyes suddenly looked so empty and lifeless. It had shocked Orihime and she had panicked and wasn't sure what to do, one moment her powers were curing Akatsuki and the next Akatsuki started to scream in pain and her body arched into the air as if a great force was pushing up against the center of her back. In that moment she had let the curing field break apart and Akatsuki had fallen back to the ground hard, her body reacting limply like a doll. "Ichigo!"

Ichigo was already beside Orihime and put his hands on her shoulder with a gentle force to calm her down and stop her from flailing around. "What the hell," he said softly to himself. He had never seen anyone react like that Orihime's powers of healing before and it unnerved him slightly. He looked over to Urahara and Tessai who had reacted quickly to her screams and ran over to her at once. Unlike Orihime who was one step from being a nervous wreck after the unexpected reaction, Urahara was quickly and professionally examining Akatsuki's head and body.

Urahara didn't say anything at first for two reasons, the first being it had made him jump out of his skin as well and was unsure if his voice would betray him to the others. The second was that he was just as taken aback as everyone else in the room. He rested his fingers against the top of Akatsuki's forehead and then quickly but gently opened her eyes lips so that he could see them. He then reached down towards Akatsuki's neck and ran his hand along the surface of the thick bone collar that ran all the way around Akatsuki's neck, checking for any sign of breaks or cracks. He nodded to himself when he found no cracks or fractures and waved his hand absently over his head.

Tessai had already anticipated his request stood ready with a box of medical supplies which Urahara took from him wordlessly.

Urahara looked over at Orihime and smiled kindly at her which calmed her down slightly. "Its OK Miss Inoue, you didn't hurt her, I guess her body just didn't like that light after all," he said to her in a kind voice. In truth Akatsuki's body seemed to have gone into shock but he wasn't so blunt as to say that to her.

"But but but," Orihime started to rant to herself but was stopped by Ichigo's grip on her shoulder tightening ever so slightly and she looked up over her shoulder at him. He smiled warmly at her and she felt a lot better.

"But still, that was a very severe reaction to something so harmless," Ishida pointed out seriously from the corner of the room where he had been leaning against the wall. Unlike the other two, Chad and Orihime, he felt as he had come to terms quicker with the current situation and thought it best if he acted as uninvolved as possible. He just wasn't sure what to make or think of the red haired girl laying on the floor. But at least it made a little sense of the events over the last few weeks, especially the Arrancar that he observed following Ikkaku and Yumichika. He guessed that this girl, Akatsuki, was related to that as well.

"To react like that to Orihime's powers, what could possibly be wrong with her," Ishida said analytically to himself and reached up to his glasses and removed them so that he could clean them. He would be patient and wait for Ichigo's full explanation later before he decided on what to think.

"Is she OK?" Chad asked with concern in his voice.

Urahara looked up and grinned cheerfully at everyone and waved his hand up and down to dismiss all of their worries and questions. "Oh its fine its fine, nothing to worry about, she'll be fine," he said in a happy but mocking tone. He looked up at Rukia and smiled evilly at her and she nearly jumped in shock at his grin.

"Wha, what is it!?" Rukia responded in a less then cool manner and blushed a little at her own reaction.

"I need you to help me with something," he said evilly and smiled at Rukia.

* * *

Akatsuki opened her eyes slowly, vaguely remembering what had happened, from her point of view, only minutes ago. She sat up and raised her hand to her head to try and relieve the pain in her forehead. She rubbed her fingers through her hair against her head and moaned. Only then did she notice the weight resting on her lap.

"Orange?" she said to herself in a confused tone of voice as she looked down at a girl asleep on her lap. She had medium length orange hair and looked like she had been asleep for some time now. She looked around at the room and felt as if she knew this place, this room, but her memory felt as groggy as her head. Everything seemed familiar yet out of place. She reached down to the girls head and gingerly ran her fingers through her hair.

The girl stirred and mumbled in her sleep but did not wake up to Akatsuki's touch and Akatsuki was slightly tempted to see what she was dreaming about that would make mumble so happily in her sleep. However at the thought her fingers pulled away from the girls head. Akatsuki grabbed her head in both hands and shook her head at what she had even been contemplating doing. "Gah! What the hell am I thinking!?" she chastised herself and looked down at the sleeping girl again. She stared for a few moments then shook her head around again. "No, no, no! Idiot, idiot!" she said to herself.

Akatsuki looked down at herself and sighed. She was half naked, with bandages wrapped around her upper chest and midriff. She reached up to her head again and felt along the skin of her face and found that she had bandages wrapped around one of her eyes as well. "Oh that's right, Otono-chan and me," she started to say to herself but stopped as a sudden pain shot through her head, memories of the fight flashed across her minds eye and grabbed her head in pain. As suddenly as it came the pain died away, leaving behind a numb feeling of recollection of what had happened that night. "That's right, we fought each other, and I," she started to say again but hesitated. "Did I kill her her?" she said to herself sadly and dipped her head solemnly.

"Kill who?" Ichigo asked curiously, causing Akatsuki to jump in surprise, she turned her head to face behind her and looked at him. Then a look of embarrassed anger crossed her face and she went red in the cheeks and pointed at him accusingly.

"How long have you been there Shinigami!?" she said accusingly at Ichigo and became flustered when Ichigo just sat there smirking back.

Ichigo got up from the corner of the room where he had been sitting cross legged behind Akatsuki and walked over towards her. He knelt beside her and ignoring her embarrassed ranting put his hand on her forehead. The contact stopped Akatsuki's ranting and she looked up at him in mild surprise. "How are you feeling?" Ichigo asked curiously in a soft voice. Akatsuki's eyes had a look of life in them again and that at least was good, besides, if she could rant at him she couldn't be that ill any more.

Akatsuki wasn't sure what to say at first and just looked back into his eyes, the contact allowed his feelings to flow into her mind and she felt a small heat in her chest. _'He really is worried about me, but why, why does he care so much?' _Her sense returned and she swatted Ichigo's hand away with the back of her hand, she looked away from him and huffed irritably. "I'm fine, thank you!" she said in a flustered, less then confident voice. She looked back down at the girl. "Where am I?" she asked, avoiding asking about the girl for now.

"Urahara's shop," Ichigo said as he looked at the hand Akatsuki had slapped away. "I brought you here after I found you unconscious."

"And the girl that was with me!? Did you bring her here too?" Akatsuki asked with a sudden intensity that took Ichigo aback.

He looked at her for a moment then shook his head. "It was just you, there was no one else there," Ichigo replied. When he had found Akatsuki she had been laying been laying face down on the ground as if she had collapsed. There had been signs that another person had been laying opposite her but whoever they where they were no longer there. It was obvious that that person had been carried off by someone else, if they had risen on their own then surely they would have taken Akatsuki with them as well. But for that matter, he wondered why this third person hadn't taken Akatsuki as well. If Aizen was truly after Akatsuki, then why had that person left her behind. Akatsuki looked back at him intently and at his words looked away from him down to Orihime, a soft, content look on her face and she closed her eye.

"Is she your friend?" Akatsuki asked softly and stroked her fingers through Orihime's hair.

Ichigo walked over to Akatsuki and stood beside her and knelt down so that he too was hovering over Orihime. "Yeah, a good friend," he said and smiled. Akatsuki's suddenly expression changed, a evil grin spread across her face and her eyes narrowed roguishly, which made Ichigo's forehead vein twitch involuntarily.

"Heeeeeh," Akatsuki hummed to herself evilly and looked from Ichigo to Orihime and back to Ichigo again. "Are you sure?" she added and looked Ichigo straight in the eyes.

"What are you talking about?" he asked curiously, her evil yet curious expression made the stress in him rise.

"Isn't she your girlfriend?" Akatsuki asked curiously. She lifted her hand from Orihime's head and ran her hand through her own hair, making sure to flick a lot of it into Ichigo's face as she did.

Ichigo knocked her hair away from his face irritably and glared at her. "Its not like that, we're just friends," he said more to himself then her and stood up from Akatsuki's side.

"Heeeeeeeeh!" Akatsuki hummed to herself again and looked at him with narrowed eyes. Ichigo glared back at her and she smiled kindly at him and closed her eyes. "If you don't want her," she started to say and smiled lecherously at Ichigo "Can I keep her?"

"Idiot," Ichigo said to himself and smiled as he shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe that for a moment there I was actually worried about you, jeez, your so annoying," he said to himself and began to walk out of the room. Before he reached the door he stopped and looked over his shoulder at Akatsuki and grinned confidently. "Guess that means your gonna be fine."

"What the hell does that mean shinigami!?" she shouted at Ichigo and her eye widened and she waved her arms about energetically as she shouted at Ichigo's rapidly retreating back. As Ichigo passed through the doorway and disappeared from sight Akatsuki slammed her hands down onto and lap, an angry look on her face. She felt Orihime stir slightly and looked down at her sleeping form and sighed. Akatsuki put her hands on the side of her head and shook her head from side to side. "Ahhhh, whats wrong with me?"

* * *

"Huh? What the hell are you asking me for?" Grimmjow asked irritably and glared down at his sudden and unwelcome guest. He growled under his breath but made no move for his sword yet.

"Because you know more about her then I do, is that not so?" Ulquiorra said as a statement of fact and looked Grimmjow straight in the eyes. Though Grimmjow was glaring with no intention of hiding his animosity towards him Ulquiorra maintained his neutral and uninterested expression.

Grimmjow was sat on the remains of a broken red pillar, most likely left behind during the fight when Grimmjow and Ichigo fought against each other. Though it was mostly sand it was easy to see that a battle had taken place here, debris and large gashes and cuts in the sand marked the places where the two of them had exchanged blows and Ulquiorra guessed that Grimmjow was remembering that fight. However this was of no interest to him. "Answer my question," he said plainly.

Grimmjow looked at Ulquiorra for a moment longer, his expression at first lightened as if in thought but then a broad, sharp toothed grin spread across his face. He looked down at Ulquiorra with disdain and laughed under his breath at him. "Why?" he repeated maliciously.

"Do not make me repeat myself," Ulquiorra replied calmly but forcefully.

"Like I know anything about her that you don't," Grimmjow said with little interest and went back to looking out over the still sands. His eyes wandered up into the unnatural blue sky that Aizen had created.

"Of all of the Espada you are the one who spent the most time with Akatsuki," Ulquiorra said simply.

"So what?" Grimmjow said half heartedly, he was getting bored very quickly with Ulquiorra today and wanted him to disappear. A grin spread across his face as he realized that Ulquiorra was trying to imply that Akatsuki was friends with him and looked back at Ulquiorra who had not moved, and most likely had not even blinked while waiting for an answer. This guy didn't scare him, but he did creep him out most times he saw him.

"Tell me what you know about her," Ulquiorra said with no apparent interest in his voice.

Grimmjow looked back at Ulquiorra with a uninterested expression on his face. "Go to hell," he said mildly and turned his head back to the sky. He didn't hear Ulquiorra move but felt a slight change in the air around him and knew that Ulquiorra had left unsatisfied which amused him. A sadistic smile slowly spread across his face. "You think just because I didn't pick on her or ignore her that that makes me her friend? Stupid girl causing me all of this trouble," he said to himself.

* * *

Ishida took his glasses off of his face and carefully cleaned the lenses with the sleeve of his white outfit, he raised them up to his eyes to inspect them and precisely placed them back onto his face, all the while his eyes had not left Ichigo. He placed two fingers on the side of his head and sighed depressingly. "I see, that certainly explains a lot of things I've been seeing over the last few weeks," Ishida said analytically to himself.

Ichigo looked back at Ishida irritably. "Is that all? Your not going to criticize me or tell me that I'm a idiot?" he said cautiously.

"If you already know what I was going to say then there's no point in me saying it," Ishida said with no emotion in his voice but smiled back at Ichigo across the table where they where sat. Ichigo looked back at him irritably and his smile became more friendly at the reaction. "I imagine that you thought that by keeping us out of it that we wouldn't need to become involved in any trouble that it caused. Or that she would have been gone long before there was any need to involve us," Ishida said in an analytical tone of voice while keeping his expression as emotionless as possible.

"Well basically," Ichigo started to say but was interrupted by Chad which took him by surprise.

"You should have told us Ichigo," he said stoically and smiled as Ichigo looked back at him with a guilty look on his face. Chad shook his head and smiled back kindly. "I'm not mad at you Ichigo, but next time don't try to do everything by yourself. We all share responsibility for protecting this town, me, you, Ishida, Orihime, Rukia and all of the others. You don't need to try and do everything by yourself."

"I'm one of the _'others'_?" Urahara said and sighed depressingly to himself but no one seemed to notice.

"But Akatsuki is," Ichigo started to say but was interrupted by Ishida this time.

"Just someone who needed help," Ishida said simply.

Ichigo grinned at the two of them and rubbed his head. It felt good to tell them about Akatsuki at last but he still felt a little guilty about hiding it from them. He looked around the room, Rukia, Chad, Ishida and Urahara all looked back at him, each with their own unique smile and he grinned back at them suddenly feeling really good about the situation. Except for Urahara that was, for some reason Urahara's smile was depressing him. "I guess the next thing we need to do is," Ichigo started to say but was interrupted again, however this time it was the sound of Orihime screaming.

"Orihime!?" Ichigo shouted and was on his feet before his mind had even registered her voice and was charging down the passageways towards where the noise had come from. Behind him he could hear the pounding of everyone else's feet and quickly put his hand around his Zanpakuto's hilt as he came to the door. Without even stopping to think he kicked the door down and burst into the room, his sword drawn and ready to attack. A second later his face turned slightly red and a vein started to throb on his forehead.

* * *

"Akatsuki-chan!" Orihime said hysterically but not fearfully, it was just that Akatsuki had taken her by surprise when she had suddenly just jumped on her. At first she thought that Akatsuki was going to attack her but that hadn't been the case. Akatsuki had her arms wrapped tightly around her waist and was pressing herself against her back, Akatsuki's head resting on her shoulder. Akatsuki's long red hair seemed to have, by random chance or design, Orihime wasn't sure, wrapped itself around the front of her body. "Akatsuki-chan," Orihime said while giggling, Akatsuki's soft hair tickling her throat.

Akatsuki closed her eyes and smiled cutely at Orihime's reaction, though it wasn't as much fun as Rukia's reaction had been, even if Rukia's reaction had hurt a lot more. "Thank you for taking care of me," she whispered softly into Orihime's ear which made Orihime blush and shake her head in embarrassment.

"Thats OK, it wasn't just me, Urahara and Tessai helped a lot too, oh, and Ichigo helped as well and Rukia too!" Orihime blurted out in no particular order.

"Heeeeeh," Akatsuki said out loud and tightened her grip around Orihime''s waist slightly which made her squeak nervously. "Your so cute!" Akatsuki said happily, unable to resist saying it.

Both Akatsuki and Orihime nearly jumped out of their skin as the door to the room was suddenly smashed straight out of the door way and from the darkness a tall man appeared with a large sword drawn, ready to attack. Akatsuki sighed as Ichigo leveled the sword towards the two of them, his expression turning from anger to surprise far too quickly. Then his expression became irritated. Behind him Rukia and two men she didn't recognize poured into the room behind him.

"Akatsuki," Ichigo said in a voice that was on the verge of shouting. He sighed heavily and put a hand onto his forehead and shook his head depressingly. However before he could say anything else he felt someone push past him and watched in surprise as Rukia marched towards Akatsuki and Orihime with purpose.

"Heh he eh heh," Akatsuki laughed nervously as she looked up in Rukia's dark expression. She twisted her eyes away from looking at Rukia directly but still felt Rukia's eyes burning into her. "I can explain," she started to say but Rukia's unflinching expression made the words die before they escaped her mouth. Akatsuki became nervous as Rukia's expression became even darker and her eyes narrowed dangerously at Akatsuki.

Rukia crossed her arms in front of her and smiled evilly down at Akatsuki.

"Wait wait wait!" Akatsuki pleaded nervously.

* * *

"Its nice to meet you all, my name is Akatsuki," Akatsuki said with a cheerful expression on her face, which would have looked better if not for a new bruise under her un-bandaged eye. She was sat on her knees with her hands placed gently on the top of her legs in a traditional, respectful position. She bowed politely and smiled cutely as she rose back up to her kneeling position. "Thank you for taking care on me!"

_'How the hell does she shift her personality so quickly? Maybe she's just insane or something,'_ Ichigo thought to himself as he watched her extremely respectful actions with mild annoyance,_ 'She never acts that way around me!_' He felt a shiver run up his spine and saw Akatsuki open her eyes ever so slightly and her eyes turned to face him. A evil grin appeared at the edge of her polite smile. _'Damn it, wait, was that aimed at me? Didn't anyone else notice that!?'_

Ishida considered her for a moment and was impressed by her ability to completely shake off the image that he had seen only minutes before. He wondered if that meant she was just so dense that she was immune to shame and embarrassment or if she was too mature to care very much about things like that. He reached up and adjusted his glasses. "Your welcome," he said politely but didn't return her smile.

"I'm glad you OK," Chad said to her and smiled contently, he didn't know her personally yet and so didn't know how he should feel towards her sudden politeness. Ichigo's wasn't the best at explaining things and as a result he wanted to speak with her more so that he could get to know her a lot better. But for some reason her polite bow left him unable to ask anything. He looked to Akatsuki's right at Orihime who was smiling happily at Akatsuki, then he looked to Akatsuki's left where Rukia was sat in the same way that Akatsuki was, her eyes closed and her expression unreadable. _'Its like they are caging her in,'_ he thought to himself and shook his head slightly at the strange thought.

Ichigo, paranoid that Akatsuki was secretly glaring at him needed a way to break the stare and so turned towards Ishida and vaguely remembered what he had said just moments before. "Your welcome? I don't remember you helping me," Ichigo said teasingly towards Ishida. He considered Ishida a good friend but Ishida liked to keep pointing out that they were rivals to each other and so Ichigo liked to provoke him once in a while.

Ishida didn't take the obvious bait and didn't even turn to face Ichigo, his eyes remaining on Akatsuki. "That's just like you to not notice anything, why do you think no Hollow came after you when you started to fight Ichimaru Gin? Oh for that matter why I turned up here shortly after you did without receiving any call from you," Ishida said unemotionally but still still smiled slightly as he knew Ichigo expression had narrowed irritably.

"Heh," was all Ichigo could think to say without making himself look like Ishida was completely right about him not noticing at all about the Hollow giving up on chasing him. Even though at the time the only thing he could see was Gin's evil face. He wondered if Gin had noticed and that,s why he had left so suddenly in the middle of their fight.

"Everyone is ignoring me," Urahara said quietly to himself and sighed.

"Its all thanks to Orihime-chan!" Akatsuki said cheerfully and tried to fall towards Orihime so that her head would land on Orihime's lap but felt someone grab hold of her Kimono and subtly restrain her movements. She was pulled back into a upright position. She twisted her head slightly so that her eyes could look into Rukia's. "Hello Rukia."

"No no, really, I only did a little, it was Urahara and Tessai-san that did most of the work. I didn't help that much," Orihime said modestly and rubbed her head, her cheeks red from the compliment.

"Thats not true, I remember you saving me," Akatsuki said kindly while still matching stares with Rukia.

"Oh! You remember that?" Orihime asked, her voice unable to mask her sudden surprise. At the time Akatsuki had looked completely out of it, her eyes had been lifeless and her reactions almost none existent, even Urahara had said that she probably hadn't even been fully awake and that she wouldn't remember anything. A pang of guilt went through her chest as she remembered Akatsuki's body arching in pain and her the sound of her screaming. The look of fear Akatsuki had on her face still lingered in her head. _'Does she, does she remember all of the pain as well?'_ Orihime thought to herself and looked down at her lap, unable to look at Akatsuki. "Is, that all you remember Akatsuki-chan?" Orihime asked carefully, trying to keep her voice as natural as possible.

Ichigo looked to Chad and Ishida who both returned his look of concern. It had shocked them too at the time, they had never seen anyone react so violently to Orihime's healing techniques before and it unnerved all of them, most of all Orihime who had nearly been crying after it had happened. Thats why Orihime had stayed with Akatsuki all throughout the night, even after Urahara and Tessai had finished patching Akatsuki up as best they could. He guessed that Orihime felt that she had to after seeing Akatsuki in such obvious pain.

Rukia, who had been staring Akatsuki out until this point let go of the collar of Akatsuki's white kimono. Akatsuki's expression seemed to darken for a moment, at least from where Rukia was looking.

Akatsuki turned to face Orihime and smiled warmly at her. "Yes," she said happily and smiled at Orihime.

"Oh, I'm so glad," Orihime said in a relieved voice and let out a big sigh.

Rukia watched with interest as the two of them smiled and laughed at each other, to Rukia it looked as if they had known each other for years and it made her slightly jealous. Akatsuki was able to switch not only her emotions but even the very way she acted as if it was nothing at all. For a moment Rukia had saw the darkness in her eyes when Orihime had asked her if she remembered anything else and the moment later she was insanely happy and chattering away with Orihime. Even though it was obvious, at least to her that Akatsuki did remember all of that pain that Orihime's light had caused she was able to hide it so well. "But why pretend?" Rukia said very quietly under her breath so that the only person who could hear her would be Akatsuki.

* * *

"I see," Ishida said to himself as he finished listening patiently to Akatsuki's version of what Ichigo had already explained once before. Ishida looked around the room and shook his head at the sight, everyone with exception of himself, Urahara and the Arrancar girl had either wandered off or had fallen asleep. Orihime and Rukia had both fallen asleep during Akatsuki's version of Ichigo's story and where now resting on the table top. Ichigo was asleep on the table as well and might as well have been drooling for all of the grace he excluded. Chad at least had had the good sense to go home and had already said his goodbyes and left.

"So you remember nothing about how you ended up in the real world or even why, I assume it safe to say then that current events also have no meaning to you?" Ishida said more of a statement then a question.

Akatsuki shook her head energetically but kept a serious, determined look on her face. The Quincy, apparently, not that she remembered what a Quincy was anyway had a very serious aura about him and every time he asked a question she nearly jumped out of her skin. It wasn't that he was scary, well she thought he was a little scary but it was his matter of fact way of speaking that made her feel like she saying something wrong whenever he asked a question. "Yes," she said in a serious tone.

Ishida looked at her serious expression and found that he had to blink. He rubbed the tiredness from his eyes and looked at her again. He raised his eye brow curiously at her. Now she was sat with her eyes closed and what was probably meant to be a cute smile. "So you learned nothing from Ikkaku either?" he probed curiously. It wasn't that he distrusted her just because she was an Arrancar but unlike Ichigo he just wasn't as naturally trusting of others, especially not when they are the enemy.

"Nothing at all Quincy-sama," Akatsuki lied cheerfully, raising her hand as she answered as if answering a question in class. In truth Ikkaku had gained far more from the encounter then she had, she had had been able to undo the damage she had inflicted on Ikkaku's mind. In return the only memories she got back had been ones to do with the fight itself, which to her where of little interest what so ever, except for the detail that she had already been injured before she met him. It wasn't much but it was a start.

"I see, I guess that makes sense, Ikkaku would have a very narrow perspective on the events of that night," Ishida said nodding to himself in thought and then suddenly stopped and looked back up at her. "Don't call me that."

"I have no idea what you are talking about Ishida-san," Akatsuki said full of indignation and looked away from him as if she had been insulted.

Ishida was very much sure what she had said but thought better of arguing with her. She was obviously trying to goad him into a reaction. He looked at her with a hard and serious expression on his face and then slowly turned his eyes across to Urahara who had sat this whole time with a creepy look on his face and back to Akatsuki who was returning his gaze with a serious look on her face. "I've got a lot more I want to ask you but I'm getting tired and need to get going," he said formally as he rose to his feet and walked over towards the exit of the room. As he reached the doorway he stopped and turned around to face Akatsuki. "But I'll tell you this now so there can be no misunderstanding later, I don't trust you as easily as the others. If I even for a moment think that you are going to betray us," he said in a hard, cold tone but didn't finish the threat. "Good night Akatsuki-san, Urahara-san."

Akatsuki watched as Ishida left the room and listened to his footsteps as he walked away from them towards the entrance of the shop. Once she was sure he was out of earshot she let out a huge, relieved sigh and dipped her head in exhaustion. "Scary," she said to herself.

"I can't deny that," Urahara said happily to her and grinned at her. He had been sat waiting patiently the last hour or two, not a part of the conversations, merely an observer. In fact, watching Akatsuki interact with Ichigo and his friends had been more enlightening that he had first thought it would be. He had been most interested in the parts of story that involved her weak constitution, especially, according to Yoruichi how Akatsuki's spiritual energy seemed to fail suddenly without any warning. "That's Ishida-san for you but he means well."

"Scary," Akatsuki repeated to herself, completely ignoring Urahara's existence.

Urahara looked past Akatsuki and towards the large black sword that was left resting carelessly in the corner of room and back towards her. He hummed to himself in thought as he watched her talking to herself and looking depressed. Now more then ever he wanted to know what, if any, powers Akatsuki had that made her so interesting to Aizen._ 'Of course, she might just be his plaything,'_ he thought to himself. _'But tonight was going a little too far for something that wasn't at least of interest to him.'_

"Akatsuki-san?" he said to her in a happy voice and smiled towards her. He sighed as Akatsuki reacted in shock to his voice as if she didn't even know that he had been there this whole time.

"Gah, its the creepy mad hatter," Akatsuki said towards him with a shocked look on her face.

"Oh thats not very nice Hollow girl," Urahara replied back in a cheerful and dramatic way and grinned as her eyes narrowed at him. "I wonder though, have you always been prone to sickness and fainting?" he asked, his voice still cheerful but containing a serious tone to it.

Akatsuki looked back him with a serious expression and wondered what Urahara was getting at. "How did know?" she asked defensively.

"My knowing this couldn't be helped Akatsuki-san, we needed to examine you closely after you reacted badly to Orihime's powers, thats when we noticed something we hadn't noticed the first time," Urahara said in a serious tone and he stared into to her eyes to try and gauge her reaction to his words. "Even though you reacted badly, your wounds had already been cured without any real problem so I guessed that whatever had made you cry out in pain had something to do within your body itself, or perhaps, your soul?"

Akatsuki didn't answer and just looked down at the floor between her and Urahara, without realizing it she reached up to her neck and rubbed her hand against her thick bone collar, its hard, cold touch reassured her whenever she was in doubt. "My soul?" Akatsuki replied in a voice full of uncertainty.

Urahara watched her reaction carefully and came to a conclusion. "No one ever told you, did they? About your soul?" he said sympathetically and shook his head. Akatsuki didn't reply and just continued to look down, the look on her face showed Urahara all he needed to see to know that he was right. Akatsuki slowly rested her head down onto the table, using her arms as a pillow. She was looking at him but at the same time she looked as though she was looking straight through him. "Your soul is broken," he said kindly but his expression was very serious. "Its not something you could easily notice on your own, you've probably lived with it for so long that it just felt, well, normal."

Akatsuki smiled warmly at him and closed her eyes and sighed lightly. She had almost forgotten about the state of her soul and Urahara's words brought back many painful memories from the last hundred years. She really had managed to almost forget it and now it was all flooding back into her but she did her best to not let it show. She had done her best to hide it from Ichigo and Urahara but since he knew there was no point in denying it.

Urahara paused for a moment, something about that reaction made him reconsider her and a grin spread across his lips. "You already knew, didn't you? About your soul being a broken mess, right?" he said confidently and slightly impressed that he had read her reactions wrong.

"Maybe," Akatsuki said cheerfully to him. She wanted to sit up but she felt so very tired still, even talking like this for a few hours was too much for her right now and she could feel the need to sleep running through her whole body. "Aizen-sama already told me," she said in a voice full of melancholy. She heard Urahara hum to himself in thought and she laughed quietly at him. "It's OK, I'm used to it," she said quietly to herself as she felt her eyelids close.

Urahara watched in silence as her eyes closed slowly, a peaceful look of resignation on her face. He shook his head as he considered her words. "It didn't surprise you hear that your soul is broken because it had never been kept a secret from you, you reacted like that because it was something you wanted to hide from us. I'm sure you have you reasons, but, people are still going to worry about you whether you want them too or not. That's just the kind of people these guys are, right Ichigo?"

Ichigo opened his eyes and sat upright in no particular hurry and rubbed his stiff neck. He twisted his head to look at Urahara and grinned at him roguishly. "As if your one to talk, you like nothing better then interfering," he said jokingly and looked at Urahara accusingly. He then looked over to the now sleeping Akatsuki and stood up quietly so as not to wake anybody up. "So she already knows about what you found out," Ichigo said to himself. He knelt down next over Akatsuki and reached down towards her bone collar but his fingers retracted automatically before he could touch the collar.

"So it would seem. Though I don't think its that simple," Urahara pointed out cautiously. "You should take her home Ichigo, she needs to rest and I think thats the best place for her."

"Yeah," Ichigo said as he reached his arms around and under her body and carefully stood up so that Akatsuki was she was asleep against his chest. "Did Aizen do this to her?" Ichigo asked quietly, his voice full of silent anger.

"I don't know Ichigo, the best person to ask would be Akatsuki," Urahara said as he got up to his feet and casually walked over to the corner of the room where Akatsuki's Zanpakuto was resting against the wall. It was cold to the touch but other then that it felt like a normal sword but he knew that was far from the case, this sword had something to do with her condition, he was sure of it but he felt it best not to say anything yet until he knew more. He walked over to Ichigo and placed the sword in Akatsuki's arms so that she was hugging the sword. Her body reacted instantly and she held it close to herself and hummed contently to herself. "Her soul right now is like a broken mirror. All the pieces are there, its just that most of them aren't connected to each other. Thats why she has such a low spiritual pressure most of the time. For a spiritual being to have such low reiatsu is like a human having anemia, its why she's always tired and feeling weak," Urahara explained without being asked because he knew Ichigo wanted to know.

"Can you help her?" Ichigo asked aggressively.

Urahara waved his arms out in front of himself in mock defense and smiled happily at Ichigo. "I'm flattered that you think I can, but I really don't have any idea what caused her soul to end up fragmented in this way. Until I can work a few certain matters out I don't think theres anything I can do," Urahara protested happily. "But I'll try to think of something. Akatsuki might know so you should try asking her sometime, but be careful, this is something she didn't want to tell us about so its obviously something that she feels defensive over. Just don't push her too much."

"Thanks," Ichigo said and grinned at Urahara. "See ya," he said as he carried Akatsuki out of the room and down the corridor.

"Besides, if Aizen couldn't fix this, I'm not sure if I can either," Urahara said to himself quietly and sat back down at his place around the table. He looked around at the sleeping form of the others and sighed. "That's right Ichigo, just leave me to clean this mess up!"


	19. That ominous feeling

_**Twilight Marionette: Hello everybody! How was everyones holidays?**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: We're in a good mood this year huh?**_

_**Twilight Marionette: Thats right!**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: Well thats OK, theres plenty of time still. It won't last.**_

_**Twilight Marionette: Did you say something?**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: Nothing at all.**_

_**Twilight Marionette: Hmmmmmm. Oh well! Sorry for the lateness this time but as it was Christmas and then my Birthday on the 31st. I was a little.... distracted.**_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: Oh, so thats what you call it.**_

_**Twilight Marionette: Silence! Anyhow I hope everyone had a good time and I hope you enjoy.**_

**_Chapter 19: That ominous feeling._**

The early morning moon shone brightly through the open window, its light spread over the floor illuminating the room in a bluish light. The wind blew gently into the room, making the curtains dance slowly through the cold morning air. In the bed by the window the body of a young girl no more then 19 years old in appearance lay quiet and still, the body itself a empty doll without its mistress.

A silhouette crossed in front of the open window with a single sound, the only sound to be heard was the breeze blowing against the tree's nearby. Outside the window stood Ichigo, his features darkened beyond sight by the light shining against his back. In his arms was Akatsuki who was sleeping soundly without a care in the world and her Zanpakuto held tightly in her sleeping embrace.

Ichigo carefully climbed in through the window and landed gently on the floor of Akatsuki's room and looked around curiously. Even though it was dark he could feel that this was a room that wasn't lived in, there was no sense of belonging here and even after being here for a few weeks everything was the same as it had been when he had first met Akatsuki. _'She never intended to stay, just like she promised. Even now and after the things that have happened she still wants to keep her promise to me?'_ he thought to himself as he turned to walk towards her bed.

He stopped in front of her gigai which had been left looking as if was asleep in her bed, its still body looked almost dead with its pale skin shining unnaturally in the moonlight. He carefully placed Akatsuki back into the gigai and took the sword from her grip with some minor effort as she tried to hold onto it in her sleep. Ichigo became aware of some movement in the corner of his eyes and turned his head to face it.

"Is she gonna be OK Ichigo?" Kon asked with deep concern as he walked over towards Ichigo. When Akatsuki had sent him away before he really hadn't wanted to leave and he had been worried about her.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, offering no other explanation then that. He guessed that this is what Rukia had been doing after they had separated and he thanked her for putting everything like this so that no one had to worry about Akatsuki being missing. He considered telling Kon what Urahara had told him but decided against it after a little thought. This was something that Akatsuki didn't want anyone else to know about so there was no way that he was going to start telling other people. For now only himself, Urahara, Tessai and probably Rukia knew about her soul's condition and that was probably already too many for Akatsuki.

Kon jumped up towards the side of the bed and climbed up so that he was standing in front of Ichigo. "What happened to her? Rukia couldn't tell me anything," Kon asked with concern as he looked her bandaged face.

Ichigo ignored the question and walked over towards the door to her room and reached out for the handle. He stopped just his fingers touched the handle. "Look after her tonight Kon," he said seriously and turned the handle which made the door click open with a louder noise then he had wanted but it didn't seem to stir anyone in the house. As he left the room he stopped again and grinned to himself. "Kon?" he said loudly.

"Yeah?" Kon replied testily at the sound of Ichigo's voice.

"Stay above the covers," Ichigo said seriously with just a hint of malice in his voice.

Kon froze what he was doing and let the covers drop back to Akatsuki's side. He crossed his arms in defiance and tutted at Ichigo. "What do you take me for? But if she grabs onto me lovingly in the middle of the night its not my fault!" Kon replied sarcastically.

"Heh, I'm going to bed," Ichigo said in a gruff but content voice and closed the door behind him.

* * *

_Ichigo's eyes opened his eyes slowly to the sight of a perfectly blue sky with pure white clouds flying high overhead and he groaned without bothering to look around. The ground felt cold and all too familiar to his back and he already knew that he was inside his inner world. "Damn it, what now!?" he shouted out loud in frustration but was met by the perfect silence of this place._

_Ichigo twisted his head onto its side and then onto the other but saw nobody around which was strange, usually either Zangetsu or 'him' was waiting for him. However all that he could see was the side of a blue colored building which made up the floor in this permanently strange place._

_Ichigojumped to his feet and looked around again but still there was no one around and he frowned in thought. He was being pulled into his inner world more and more frequently and it was without a doubt his inner Hollows doing though Ichigo still had no real idea why. His inner Hollow hadn't attacked him since Ichigo had shattered his sword the other time but he still felt ill at ease to wake up here like this. "Seriously, what in the hell is going on here?" he said quietly to himself and started to walk towards the edge of the sideways building._

_Ichigo stopped by the edge and looked out over the edge, half expecting to see Zangetsu or his Hollow self standing around on the other side of the building but it seemed that he really was here by himself. Then, much his his surprise he was relieved to hear the sound of someone appearing behind him but that was better then being here alone. The thought of being in this blue sideways world all by himself was not something he wanted to experience. He didn't bother turning around, he knew who it was by the feeling of his reiatsu, which even when suppressed could make Ichigo shiver even now. "So?" Ichigo said casually to his inner Hollow._

_The Hollow smiled evilly at Ichigo's back but made no effort to approach him. "Looks like you've been having a lot of fun today," he said casually to Ichigo._

"_I don't have time to play with you today," Ichigo replied harshly and turned to face his inner self with hardened eyes._

"_And once again you needed my help and reached out to me," Hollow Ichigo said sarcastically and laughed to himself. Ichigo's expression darkened but that only served to amuse him more. "You can feel it can't you?" he asked mockingly._

"_Feel what?" Ichigo asked curiously, his Hollows comments were lost on him and had no idea what his deranged rantings were about this time._

"_Your control, it was slipping," Hollow Ichigo replied casually and waved his hand about for emphasis. "You wanted to really hurt that Gin bastard, I could feel it, you wanted to let loose and tear him apart!" he shouted hysterically at Ichigo and burst out laughing again._

"_So what?" Ichigo replied aggressively and reached his arm up towards his shoulder and wrapped his fingers around Zangetsu._

"_You already know what, every time you feel your control slipping I become more and more in control. I already told you before remember, your body will be mine," Hollow Ichigo said arrogantly and reached his hand out towards Ichigo. He grinned as Ichigo drew Zangetsu and held it out in front of him because of such a harmless movement. 'But at least Ichigo has good sense still,' he thought to himself._

"_You know that you cant defeat me here anymore, I'll beat you just like the other times and leave you here," Ichigo said with a confident smile on his face, his eyes burning with conviction. _

"_Heh," Hollow Ichigo said and grinned back. Black and red color mist appeared from his shadow and swirled up around his body and snaked its way along his arm until it reached his hand. It gathered around his hand like a black cloud and then suddenly with a loud shrieking noise it spread out in front of him and formed the rough shape of Zangetsu in his hands. Red and black energy cracked around his hand and without waiting for the blade to appear from the cloud flashed forwards towards Ichigo._

_Ichigo grinned as he saw the movement and slammed Zangetsu against his Hollow's Zangetsu as it flew down towards him. Ichigo used his weight to throw the Hollow backwards into a spin and he flashed towards it before it had time to react. However as his blade arced through the air towards the Hollow Ichigo he noticed too late that his Hollow self was grinning._

_Hollow Ichigo grabbed Ichigo's sword and pulled it to the side and shot his free hand forwards towards Ichigo's neck. "Is that it! I thought you were faster then that!" he roared hysterically as Ichigo barely pulled away from his reach before his fingers could close around his neck._

_Ichigo grimaced as he pulled away from his opponent. His body was feeling strangely heavy, as if a great pressure was pushing down on him from all directions at once. It still wasn't much but he felt his movements were being slowed down with each passing moment. "I'm just getting warmed up!"_

"_We'll see!" Hollow Ichigo laughed hysterically and launched himself towards a defending Ichigo. This time his used his own sword and it didn't break against Ichigo's Zangetsu. The look in Ichigo's eyes as the swords clashed together amused him greatly. With a quick and accurate series of attacks he pushed Ichigo back and back. Each blow sent black and blue sparks of spiritual energy flying._

_Each time Hollow Ichigo's Zangetsustruck Ichigo's own he felt heavier and heavier. It was such a oppressive felling and if this kept up he would become too slow to block or dodge. 'This feeling! It feels like someone is trying to crush me. Its just like that time!' he thought to himself as he remembered the first time he had felt Zaraki Kenpachi's reiatsu. He realized that he had to defeat his Hollow self quickly before the air became too heavy too fight in, there would be time to think about it later._

"_Whats wrong Ichigo!? I thought you were the king here!" Hollow Ichigo mocked as he swung wildly at Ichigo's defense. He noticed a grin appear at the corners of Ichigo's mouth but it was already too late to react._

_Ichigo waited patiently for his Hollow self to become erratic and wild in his movements as his confidence built. Then suddenly, moving on instinct he saw a opening appear and his body instantly reacted to it and he lashed out towards Hollow Ichigo's side. As expected his Hollow self managed to block the attack easily but Ichigo wasn't finished yet and quickly reversed the direction his blade was facing and spun his body around backwards._

_Hollow Ichigo was barely able to block the attack and he grinned at the effort. Ichigo wasn't as weak as he used to to be when they had first met but he wasn't as strong as he had been either. Ichigo's movements seemed so slow to his eyes and he watched as Ichigoreversed the direction of attack to strike at his other side. His body instinctually span around as well so that their blades would meet again like a mirror image of the attack before. However he was wrong and his eyes opened in shock and surprise as he found that Ichigo wasn't there. Ichigo had changed directions again and Hollow Ichigo watched as his sword sent sparks flying as its blade cut across the ground to slash upwards at his middle._

_Ichigo moved on instinct and quickly slashed up towards Hollow Ichigo's middle. Hollow Ichigo was barely able to dodge out of the way but he lost his footing at having to dodge an unexpected attack and was forced to leap away. As the sword reached the highest point of its swing he reversed the direction of the blade yet again and slashed down with all of his strength. "Getsuga Tensho!"_

_The blue flame cut towards Hollow Ichigo and he quickly tried to raise his sword out in front of him but he was off balance and all he could do was wait for the attack to hit him._

_Ichigo watched with cold eyes as the attack slammed into his Hollow self and sent him reeling backwards screaming. The attack exploded in a blue light and Ichigo flicked his sword straight in front of him and sheathed it onto his back. "I'm still the one in charge here," Ichigo shouted across to where Hollow Ichigo lay of his back defeated. He turned around to walk away but was suddenly aware that that oppressive reiatsu had flared back up again. He just had time to turn around as a black Getsuga Tensho came flying towards his back._

* * *

"Huh!" Akatsuki exclaimed as she woke suddenly in a cold sweat. She forced her aching body to sit upright and rubbed her head. "Ichigo?"

Akatsuki looked around the room but realized that she was all alone, except for Kon but he didn't count as much of a person in her eyes. He looked like he had been cuddling her under the covers but she didn't care much about that one way or the other. It had been such a heavy and omninous feeling that had covered her body and dream and it had forced her awake. That in itself was quite a welcome thing because she had been having another disturbing dream again. But that feeling was still in the air even now. It felt like Ichigo.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the ominous spirit energy which was starting to become stronger and stronger. "This feeling, its? I think I've felt this before somewhere. Was it?" she mumbled to herself as she tried to work out what it was. She knew she had felt this feeling before but she couldn't quite place where. The pressure heightenedagain and her eyes opened wide in realization at what it was. It was the same pressure that she had felt when Ichigo had attacked Las Noches to rescue his friend. She remembered that it had made her and many others shiver at the time.

"Heh, its Ichigo," she said to herself and shook her head. Of course she had realized who he was after a week of living in the same house with him and his family. It just wasn't something she had wanted to bring up in a conversation with him. _'This is the same feeling as before but its somehow different, it feels, far more oppressing,'_she thought to herself and without realizing headed towards the door to her room and quietly ran towards Ichigo'sroom. The closer she came the heavier the air became and she stopped in front of the door to his room. She reached out for the handle and suddenly stopped herself in disbelief.

"Ah! What am I doing? This is a boys room! This is Ichigo's room!" she ranted to herself and blushed. She looked down at body and realized that all she was wearing was one of Ichigo's t-shirts and gasped at herself in embarrasment. She was about to walk away sheepishly but resisted and pushed the door open.

Akatsuki gasped as she entered the room. To human eyes and senses the room appeared normal but to her it felt oppressive and heavy, as if someone was trying to crush her by its force of will alone. She carefully walked over to Ichigo's sleeping form and looked down at his sleeping face and pulled back defensively despite herself. A white and red mask was slowly starting to cover his face and she gingerly reached out towards it. As her fingers touched the surprisingly cold surface a multitude of emotions and instincts forced their way into her head caused to pull away violently. "Shinigami-sama? Whats wrong with you?"

Akatsuki felt like fleeing before it got worse but another voice in her head started to speak up, quietly at first but soon it was almost shouting at her. _'You have to sing for him!' _Hakumei commanded her from the back of her mind.

"But! But i can't! I can't use that power on Ichigo!" she nearly shouted to herself hysterically and shook her head in disagreement. _'At this rate he's going to disapeer.'_

"I know that! At this rate he'll die or turn into a Hollow! But I can't! I just can't! He didn't give me permission! she argued to Hakumei's voice in her head. _'Why do you need permission!'_

Akatsuki didn't want to use her powers on Ichigo, she really didn't. It was a promise she had made to herself a long time ago that she would never use her powers on anyone without permission ever again. If Ichigo found out she would never trust her ever again to even touch him. _'What are you afriad of! If you don't act your going to lose him! We can save him so why shouldn't we!'_

"I, I," Akatsuki stuttered, suddenly so unsure of herself. _'You want to save him right! You don't want to lose him do you? Isn't saving him more important then him trusting us ever again?'_Hakumei replied kindly to her which calmed Akatsuki's nerves somewhat and she approached his sleeping form again. Looking down at him brought the fear back and she fought the urge to run. Despite herself she couldn't not blush a little. "You better take responsibility for this!" she said to herself and reached her left hand out into the air. In her open fingers a giant scythe appeared as if from thin air and as it became fully solid her fingers closed tightly around it.

'Its good to be honest with your own feelings huh?' Hakumei purred from the recesses of her mind which made Akatsuki blush even more. She resistyed the urge to argue with herself anymore and looked down over Ichigo. She opened her heart to him and started to sing.

* * *

"_Looks like I win," Hollow Ichigo said happily to Ichigo as he grinned wildly at him. He lifted his Zanpakuto high above his head to swing down at Ichigo, finishing him off. After that, Ichigo'sbody would soon be his to rule and command and the excitement filled his body like lightning. Just as he was about to swing down he felt a sudden change in the air, as if something had appeared that was not here a moment ago. He was sure that he could hear the sound of someone singing but that coulldn't be. The only two people here were Ichigo and himself. He saw movement in Ichigo's surprised eyes but it was too late even for him to react._

_Hollow Ichigo felt two arms wrap around his body, one arm around his chest and another over his shoulder and down his body and gripped onto him tightly. A head came to rest on his shoulder and he looked into a familiar face, one he remembered from the time he saved Ichigo by the lake when he had followed that girl Akatsuki. "You again! I wont let you run away this time!" Hollow Ichigo sneered confidently._

_Ichigo was too surprised to say anything at first, it had all happened so fast and he had no idea what was going. A black and red tear of energy had just suddenly appeared silently behind his Hollow self and a girls body had appeared out of it to grab him. "Akatsuki?" he said in confusion and the girl looked down at him from where her head was resting on Hollow Ichigo's shoulder and smiled warmly. With her body only half out of the strange opening she looked like a snake. She looked just like Akatsuki in physical appearance but her hair was golden and her eyes were red like blood._

_The rest of the girls body floated free from the tear and she floated behind hollow Ichigo as if she were half hovering, half hanging from him. Her feet a clear foot from the floor._

_Hollow Ichigo tried to fight her off but her hold on him was incredibly strong and he couldn't break her grip on him. "Bitch!" he screamed manically. His body was feeling heavier and heavier with every passing second and his manic expression calmed as he realized that there was nothing he could do now. The red eyed Akatsuki looked sideways at his expression and smiled warmly. Hollow Ichigo gritted his teeth, his blood lust making his blood boil._

_The red eyed Akatsuki turned from Hollow Ichigo and looked back down at Ichigo again, she closed her eyes and smiled innocently. "I think its time for you to wake up by now, don't you Shinigami-sama?" she said in a childish way but with a mature voice. She turned her head from the bewildered Ichigo back to Hollow Ichigo and her expression became cold and serious._

"_What do you mean? Who the hell are you?" Ichigo protested in vain. _

_Hakumei released the arm around Hollow Ichigo's waist and raised her hand into the air and put her thumb and fingers together as if she were going to click her fingers._

"_What the hell do you think you doing bitch!?" Hollow Ichigo snarled but the girl ignored him._

_Ichigo watched in confusion as the girl clicked her fingers together. The very sound seemed to smash the sideways city like a glass mirror, cracks appeared all over the sky and across the floor. White light poured through the gaps between the cracks, its intensity blinding him and he was forced to cover his eyes from its brightness. And all in that same brief moment the world turned black._

* * *

"Ahhhhh!" Ichigo nearly screamed as he woke up suddenly. His body sat up in almost instinctual shock with sure force that he was only partially aware of the weight that he had shifted off of him. Ichigo scrunched his eyes together tightly and held his head as pain shot across his brain. Only after a few seconds later did he realize that when he sat upright he had bumped into something and had heard a surprised scream.

As his eyes became adjusted to the dark he looked around and realized that he was alone in the room. Both the door and the window were unopened and there was no sign that anyone else had been in here. But he was sure he had pushed something off of him and heard it scream in surprise. "Whats going on? Was that real or just a dream? There's no way Akatsuki was in my inner world was there?"

He reached up to his forehead and wiped the hot sweat off his brow and sighed heavily. He climbed out of bed and opened the window, letting in a icy cold breeze which felt nice against the skin of his chest. He wasn't sure why but the moon looked a lot more beautiful then he remembered it looking before when he had returned with Akatsuki. It fact, as he looked at it it almost felt as if he were seeing it for the first time in his life. It was such a strange, though not unpleasant experience. It was like he was seeing it through someone else's eyes.

Ichigo turned away from the window and was about to walk away when he suddenly stopped and turned so that he was facing the moon again. "Akatsuki?" he said to himself softly and shook his head gently.

"Can you hear me Akatsuki?" he repeated loud enough to be heard from the roof but not enough to sound angry. It was the truth, for some reason he felt extremely calm right now and it helped to clear his mind. He waited for a response from a person that may or may not have been there. "I guess not," he said to himself and walked back over to his bed, his head full of questions.

On the roof above Ichigo's room Akatsuki lay on her back staring up at the stars. She had heard Ichigo call for her but she had lacked the courage to answer him back. Her eyes lacked their usual life and looked dull even in the moon and star light. Her hair was a mess of pale red and golden blond strands and one of her eyes was the color of deep red.

In her hand she held a large black Death style scythe and in her other hand the sheath of her Zanpakuto. She raised the scythe towards the heavens with little effort and pointed it towards the stars. "I'm sorry Ichigo, I'm just not that brave to tell you the truth. I think. I think that if you found out you would hate me," Akatsuki said to herself curiously and sighed in a exasperated manner. "Though I'm not exactly sure why that would bother me."

* * *

Ichigo walked over to the ledge of the rooftop and looked on out over Karakura town, his eyes shining in the light cast by the afternoon sun. Everybody below was living their simple yet important lives blissfully unaware of how the world around them really was. But for Ichigo that was good thing, everyone one of them was someone worth protecting. He watched the traffic go by below him with little interest and paid no particular attention. He was about to turn around and walk to the other side of the rooftop when he heard the gentle sound of feet landing behind him.

"Hey Rukia," Ichigo said out loud, fairly certain that it was Rukia who had landed behind him. After all, it had been her who who arranged to meet with him here.

Rukia brushed her hand through her hair and walked over to where Ichigo was standing by the edge of the roof. "Ichigo," she said in acknowledgement.

"So how is it back in the Seireitei?" Ichigo asked curiously. It had been a little while since the incident of an Arrancar infiltration in the Soul Society and he was curious about how they were handling things there. He assumed that they had gained no extra leads or information since the time when Toushiro Hitsugaya had come to inform him of events in the Seireitei. After all no one from Soul Society had coming looking for Akatsuki with the exception of Ikkaku Madarame, who hadn't come to the real world looking for a spy but rather a rematch.

"Ah, things have quietened down a lot since then. As far as the investigation into what happened is going they haven't learned much then they knew back then. No one knows how the intruder got past the defenses without being detected or what they had done once within the grounds of the Seireitei since the alarm was only raised after the intruder had found whatever it was they were looking for," Rukia said in a serious manner as if she was giving a report to a senior officer.

"So no one saw her face or anything like that?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"No, the intruder was wearing a plain white mask and it was too dark for the pursuers to even tell what color their hair was," Rukia replied and turned to face Ichigo who was still looking out over the city with a serious look on his face. She started at him for a moment longer and turned so that she too was looking out over the town. "So do you think it was Akatsuki after all?"

"Huh? No, why do you say that?" Ichigo replied cautiously and looked expectantly at Rukia.

Rukia watched the expression on his face and tried to guess if he was being sincere or not. She turned her eyes away from him and sighed as she realized he didn't even notice the slip of his tongue. "You said 'her' Ichigo, you need to be more careful about the way you says things. Both to others and to her," Rukia said in a mild but scolding tone.

"What do you mean to her?" Ichigo replied.

"Never mind Ichigo, just forget about it," Rukia replied and sighed lightly to herself. She noticed that Ichigo had something else on his mind and decided to try and get him to talk about it. She didn't like dealing with Ichigo when he had something eating away at him and wished he would just tell her things like whatever it was he was thinking about. "Are you OK? Just lately you have been distant. Do you have something on your mind?"

Ichigo turned to look at her and smiled confidently at her but he could tell that she wasn't buying it at all, her stern expression boring into him. He didn't really want to tell her about the strange dreams he had been having lately, that was something he had to deal with by himself. If she knew about about his inner Hollow self acting up it would only cause her to worry about him. "Its nothing really, I was just thinking about the other day. About how Gin was there."

"Ichimaru Gin," Rukia said to herself and felt a shiver run down her spine. Even thinking about him made her feel sick in her stomach, it was just something about his aura that made her feel like he was strangling her whenever the two of them had crossed paths. "You didn't really say much about that at the time, just that you had to fight him. Did something happen?"

"I had to use my Hollow transformation to fight him," Ichigo replied happily and smiled to himself.

Rukia looked at the side of his face and saw the smile spread across his lips but she didn't think too much about it, even though there was something strange about it. Ichigo was never thrilled when he had to use his Hollow powers in a fight so the smile seemed out of place. She wondered if his inner Hollow had said or done something while the mask was on and Ichigo was hiding it from her.

"If you needed to use that power then there's no problem right, Ichigo?" Rukia said to Ichigo but realized that he either wasn't listening to her or hadn't heard her.

Ichigo smiled evilly to himself and closed his eyes. "Yeah, that's right. There's nothing wrong with having power right, I mean its there to be used right so there's no reason to let it go to waste," Ichigo said to himself and grinned. For some reason he was suddenly feeling pretty good again and Rukia's voice was starting to get on his nerves. He opened his eyes again and looked down at Rukia who's eyes opened wide in surprise and she backed away from him slightly. "Huh? Whats wrong with you?" he asked more irritability then he had intended and saw the shock in her eyes.

Rukia backed away from him slightly and realized that he had no idea that his eyes had changed. The whites of his eyes had turned pure black and his pupils had turned an all too familiar shade of yellow. It was the same eyes that looked out at people from behind his Hollow mask. "Ichigo, your eyes," she started to say but saw the look of annoyed confusion on his face and realized that he wasn't acting like himself at all. Now that she thought about it even voice had started to distort its tone. She reached to her side and pulled her sword free and raised it sidelong in front of her. Rukia then slowly drew the blade from its sheath just enough so that a length of metal reflected the image of Ichigo's eyes.

Ichigo opened his eyes wide in shock and grabbed at the sides of his head. He shut his eyes tightly and shook his head around and fell to his knees. He felt Rukia's hand gently but forcefully grab hold of his shoulder and he slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring back into Rukia's concerned eyes. "Rukia?"

"Its OK Ichigo, its gone again. But that really scared me for a moment. I thought that the Hollow had somehow taken control of you," Rukia said in a concerned tone as she used her body to help Ichigo get back up onto his feet. "Are you OK?"

Ichigo rubbed his head and breathed deeply in and out to calm himself. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

* * *

"Ahhh Hollow girl! And what can I do for you today?" Urahara said happily as he entered his pseudo meeting room. Tessai had told him that Akatsuki had come round to see him personally and that Urahara was the one she wanted to see, alone. He had already assumed that this was about the item that she had asked him to find. However he found the room to be suspiciously empty and he stopped mid step.

"Idiot," Akatsuki replied from behind Urahara.

Urahara casually turned around so that he was face to face with Akatsuki and he smiled warmly at her, completely unfazed by the fact that she was upside down. He was far more interested in how she managed to stop her hair and dress from being pulled down by gravity, he wondered if she was somehow nullifying gravity. Either way it would be a useful skill if he understood how it worked. "Hello there," he said with a casual smile and stared into her eyes.

Akatsuki narrowed her eyes and stared back at him. "What is it?" she said after a few moments of Urahara's intense stare. Despite her general distrust of this strange man she found herself unable to keep his gaze as she spoke and had to look away in embarrassment.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all. I was just wondering who taught you that rather interesting little trick," Urahara said casually and walked away from her. He made his way over to one of his chests and knelt down beside it. Carefully unlocking it he reached inside and retrieved a shoe box sized container and stood back up.

"Huh? What trick?" Akatsuki replied curiously. She then looked around the room and then up at her own body and sighed. She looked back at Urahara with eyes narrowed suspiciously and hummed in thought. It wasn't a big deal to answer his question and it wasn't exactly a secret but for some reason she couldn't quite place she was reluctant. It felt like he was probing. "Its nothing special, I bet even you could do it," she replied sarcastically.

Urahara walked back towards her so that he was face to face with her again and he grinned expectantly. It amused him to see Akatsuki become embarrassed by his face being so close and turn her head away from his again. "A gift. For you my lady," Urahara said happily to her and took a step away from her so that he could raise the container up in front of her her eyes. She eyed him and then the box suspiciously.

"What is this?" she asked curiously and gingerly took the box from his hands and looked back at him with mild distrust.

"Shouldn't you already know that? Its the item you asked me to find as a favor after all," Urahara replied with mock hurt in his voice. He walked away from her and sat down at his table opposite Akatsuki and watched curiously as her body seemed to rotate in mid air so that she was floating in the air. Then slowly she hovered down to the ground. She looked at him critically and walked over to the table and sat down opposite him with the box sat on her legs. "I'm curious but I assume your a big fan of things that are red?" he asked cheerfully.

Akatsuki looked back at him in confusion at the sudden change in topic and then looked down at her clothes. She was wearing the red school style uniform that she had been given still and she guessed that was what he was referring to. "Not really," she said and shrugged off the stupid question. She focused her attention the suspicious box and very carefully undid the fastenings that held it shut tight.

"Well? How is it?" Urahara asked with a confident smile. It wasn't exactly what she had asked for but it was a good match to her description. He guessed that she wouldn't mind it being a little different then what she had asked for if she had forgotton about asking for it.

"Ohhhhhhhhh!" Akatsuki exclaimed happily as she looked into the box and clapped her hands together in delight. "Rukia was right about you! You really do have a shop full of useless junk!" she said happily and laughed at him.

Slight taken aback by her response Urahara wasn't exactly sure if that was meant as a compliment or an insult. She seemed happy with it but at the same time he felt as if she was mocking him. "Should you really be saying that? Your the one who asked for such an item!" he replied defensively. Akatsuki just continued to laugh happily to herself and put her hands to her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"But still. You really do have a lot of weird items just sitting around here don't you!" Akatsuki replied sarcastically and looked at him suspiciously.

"Whats that look for?" Urahara said cheerfully, having decided to go along with the flow.

Akatsuki shook her head and looked back into the box again and smiled before resealing it. Then her expression became mature and serious as she made eye contact with Urahara again. "So what do you what in exchange for it?" she asked seriously in a formal manner. She shifted her position so that she sitting in a polite, traditional kneeling fashion with her hands placed on her legs.

Urahara waved his hand up and down at her sudden display of politeness, it didn't really suit her and he guessed that inside she was cursing away at herself and him. But that also told him how important that insignificant item he had found was to her. He decided it would be best to take her seriously as she was obviously making some effort to be so herself. "For this? I thought that this was a favor? After all, I never asked for anything in exchange at the time," he replied in a flat tone of voice.

"Even so, I don't want to take this off you as a gift. Maybe there's something you want from me in exchange? Or maybe I can do something for you?" Akatsuki said in a serious manner but refused to look Urahara in the eyes. She really hated acting formal and polite but it was something that had been drilled into her and she couldn't help it sometimes. Her eyes glanced across at Urahara and found that he was considering her words with a rather strange look on his face. _' Such a creepy smile, whats going on in that head of his?' _she thought to herself and shivered.

Urahara grinned broadly to himself and saw Akatsuki narrow her eyes suspicious at his reaction. "We'll I'm flattered, I really am but your not my type of girl," he said casually and waved his cane around as he spoke. Before he could finish the sentence Akatsuki had already crossed over the table and grabbed him roughly by the collar.

"Not that kind of thing you idiot!" she growled at him with a dangerous sparkle in her eyes. Urahara laughed happily and waved his arms in front of her face defensively.

"I was joking, joking!" Urahara said hurriedly and smiled at her flustered expression. As she released her grip on his collar he dusted his coat down and went back to staring at her from under his hat. She slided her way rather clumsy back across the table and sat back down where she had been but this time there was no attempt to be polite about it. "So about what I mentioned the other night," he started to say.

Akatsuki glared at him for a moment and wondered how she should react. She didn't really want to talk about it to him but at the same time knew that things would only be awkward if they were left half said. It wasn't a big secret anyway, basically every Hollow and Arrancar in Las Noches knew about her weakened condition to some degree though most didn't know the finer details. She sighed heavily and looked away from Urahara, resigned to the fact that she owed him and Ichigo at least that much after all of the help that they had given her without asking for anything in return. "Yes?" she replied in a depressed voice.

"Do you know why?" Urahara asked carefully.

"Yes," Akatsuki replied reservedly.

"Your not going to tell me are you?" Urahara continued on happily and smiled at her.

"No," Akatsuki replied simply and looked back at Urahara. She made a decision to herself that she would answer his questions for now as long as he didn't ask anything that bothered her too much to answer. "Or rather, I don't know if I want to."

"Then may I hazard a guess?" Urahara replied in a confident tone. He had been thinking about her condition since he had first confirmed it from Akatsuki's own word of mouth. It wasn't a condition totally unheard of or seen before but it was also rare enough that there was no reliable amount of data for him to be sure. The condition itself was called _'Soul Fragmentation,' _however each time it had been encountered the determined cause and even the effect on the patient had been different and so no links could be easily formed. The only constant was the souls distorted and fragmented nature.

"It doesn't matter how I answer does it?" Akatsuki asked with disinterest. Urahara smiled back at her and she sighed in defeat. "I've been this way ever since I regained my human form."

"Something went wrong with Aizen's process?" Urahara asked curiously. Akatsuki huffed and looked away from him with her arms crossed and he wondered how he had managed to insult her. "Am I wrong?"

"Very much so. I was already had a human form when I first met Aizen," Akatsuki said and smiled. It brought back vague memories of when she had first met Aizen. She remembered looking up at a strange man through her blurry eyes and him offering her hand to help her up from the dirt where she lay in a pathetic position. That was the first time she met the man called Aizen. He had saved her that day. A pang of guilt shot through her chest as she thought of her sister and she felt guilty about leaving her all by herself in Las Noches. But it was not like she could do anything about it yet.

"What? You had already returned to human form on your own?" Urahara asked, slightly doubtful.

Akatsuki narrowed her eyes as she looked back at Urahara. "Is that so hard to believe?" she asked slowly and deliberately, daring Urahara to agree.

"AH! No no no its not that!" Urahara said waving his hands in front of himself and smiled back at her serious expression. "So your a natural then? One of those who were around before Aizen arrived with the Hougyoku," he mused to himself and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He was about to speak again when another thought occurred to him and a grin slowly spread across his face which made Akatsuki lean slightly away from him suspiciously. "You don't know at all do? Your just trying to act cool," Urahara said enthusiastically.

"I I I idiot!" Akatsuki stuttered out. It was true and she felt her cheeks turn slightly red in embarrassment. "Aizen-sama explained to me a long time ago about why my powers are unstable. He told me that my soul was in a permanent state of chaotic flux brought about by an unknown phenomenon which caused my soul to fragment." Akatsuki said cleverly and smiled proudly at Urahara.

"Heh heh. What are you so proud about Hollow girl? You only know that because Aizen told you right? Don't act as if you worked it out by yourself," Urahara said jokingly.

"Gah!" Akatsuki coughed out. "W w w well that's ummmm."

_'But I cant deny what she just said. What Aizen told her is exactly what I saw the other night. So, he didn't lie to her at all?'_ he thought to himself. "Akatsuki-san? Do you remember anything before you met Aizen?"

"I just told you that I was already in this form before I met Aizen so of course I remember stuff before then. I have been around for about 100 years now you know," Akatsuki replied in a huff, her arms crossed and looking away from Urahara again.

"One hundred years huh? That's a pretty long time huh?" Urahara said after whistling to himself.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" Akatsuki said in a sweet voice and smiled innocently.

Urahara picked up the threat in her voice straight away and was quick to amend what he had just said. "What I mean is, you've been all alone in Hueco Mundo for over a hundred years? With your spiritual power so unstable and weak I'm very impressed that you lived this long all by yourself," Urahara said happily to her and laughed.

"But I was never by alone. Hakumei was always with me to protect me," Akatsuki replied happily.

"Hakumei? Is that the name you gave your Zanpakuto?" Urahara said as he looked at the black carry case in which Akatsuki's sword was kept out of sight.

"No, that's the name Hakumei gave herself," Akatsuki replied with a mild look of confusion on her face. She didn't understand why Urahara would have thought that she had named her Zanpakuto Hakumei. _'If I did that Hakumei would kill me,'_ she thought to herself and looked downcast.

"Gave herself? Your Zanpakuto gave you its name?" Urahara said as his eyes opened slightly wider. _'Its true that Shinigami's Zanpakuto do indeed have soul's residing inside them but I thought that an Arrancars Zanpakuto was just a physical manifestation of their original Hollow powers. Is it possible for them to even become like Shinigami Zanpakuto? But Akatsuki is an Arrancar, of that __there is no doubt,' _Urahara pondered to himself and nibbled on his lower lip as he thought.

"Creepy," Akatsuki muttered to herself and yelped in surprise when Urahara's head suddenly snapped back towards her. His eyes were suddenly so intense and serious when he looked at her and she wondered if she had said something bad. "Urahara-san?"

Urahara looked at her in deep thought for a moment longer and then let his expression fall back into his usual inane, happy smile. "Its nothing its nothing. So how are you feeling anyway? You look so pale your almost white," he said in a much happier tone then he had been using a moment ago.

"This is my normal skin color!" Akatsuki snapped back. Urahara laughed back at her and she coughed before speaking again. "I feel much better."

"That's great Hollow girl! So this is another gift for you!" he said excitedly and reached inside his coat and thumbled around for a moment before his fingers found what he was looking for.

Akatsuki watched curiously as he pulled a long object from within his coat. However that wonder turned to trepidation as she realized what it was he was pulling out. It was a medium sized syringe which appeared to be filled with a unknown blackish purple liquid. _'What is he planning to do with that!?' _He waved it around in front of her and she gulped hard. She wasn't very fond of needles, especially not such big looking ones filled with a mysterious liquid. "U u u Urahara-san?" she said nervously as she eyed the syringe suspiciously.

"Don't look at me like that, this is medicine that I made for you," Urahara said roguishly to Akatsuki. The syringe was filled with Hollow spiritual energy that he had heavily refined so that it was as pure as possible. In theory it would restore a moderate amount of the spiritual power that Akatsuki was missing. He had no guarantee that it would work and even if it did would only work for a short amount of time until the energy dissipated out of her body, however it was the best he could do with his currently limited knowledge of the cause of her condition.

"What the hell is it?" Akatsuki asked in a serious tone of voice as she eyed the liquid with dread.

"Pure Spiritual energy," Urahara said proudly and tossed it over towards her. Akatsuki caught it carefully and eyed it suspiciously as if was going to attack her or explode. "Next time you feel as if your spiritual is about to fail you should use it. It will make you feel much better, at least for a while."

Akatsuki looked at the medicine with a kind and warm expression and then at Urahara. "I guess that's another thing I owe you for," she said in a soft, mature voice.

* * *

"Hey! Akatsuki!" Ichigo remarked to her back as she tried to secretly enter the house and disappear up the stairs. It might have worked if Ichigo had not been waiting for her for a while. What had happened last night was still bugging him and he decided that he was just going to ask her straight out if she had done something to him. He had wanted to ask her this morning but she had managed to avoid him all day with annoying ease. The way she just froze when she heard him say her name behind didn't relive his suspicions.

"Ah! Ichigo, what are you doing here?" Akatsuki jumped at the sound of his voice and froze in her tracks. She wondered if he had been waiting behind the front door for her, if that was even possible. For a reason that made no sense to her she felt like a guilty child who had been caught sneaking in at a late hour.

"Huh? I live here remember, this is my home," Ichigo pointed out patiently.

"Then why are you sneaking up behind me like that? Are you spying on me?" Akatsuki eyed him suspiciously as she replied sarcastically. "Oh! Your stalking me!?"

"What!?" Ichigo managed to say in disbelief.

* * *

"Oh Ichigo! Is Akatsuki-chan back yet, I wanted to talk to her about something important," Isshin had started to say but let his voice trail off towards the end as he turned the corner and saw Ichigo and Akatsuki on the stairs. The sight made him smile despite himself. Ichigo was trying to drag Akatsuki backwards up the stairs and she was obviously trying to resist him, his arm wrapped around her neck and the other around her waist. He felt someone push slightly past him but didn't need to look down.

"What are you doing brother!?" Yuzu remarked and blushed at the sight. Ichigo looked back sheepishly at the two of them and realized how it must look.

"Wait! This isn't what it looks like!" Ichigo tried to protest but gave up as Akatsuki tried to break free.

"Oh ho," Karin exclaimed with a grin as she too came to see what had everyone's attention out in the hallway.

"Gah!" Akatsuki relented and let her body go limp. "Save me Yami-chan, he's going to do bad things to me."

"Stop making stuff up! You started this!" Ichigo carried on pulling her body up the stairs.

"Mr Kurosaki! Why wont you stop him!?" Akatsuki complained half heartidly and sighed as she was pulled further up the stairs. She watched depressingly as Isshin and Yuzu's flushed faces disappeared around the corner of the stairwell.

"Ichigo! So bold!" Isshin exclaimed proudly and stood upright and nodded.

"Akatsuki stopped fighting back! Does that mean!? Does that mean that she was only pretending to struggle?" Yuzu exclaimed excitedly alongside her father.

Karin looked at the two of them and could almost imagine just how far and wrong their imaginations were taking them. "They were just arguing, don't read anything into it." She heard the door to Ichigo's room slam shut and instantly, almost by instinct, grabbed her father and sisters collars as they started to creep towards the stairs and dragged them back into the living room against both of their wills. "Seriously, you two need to stay out of Ichigo's business."


	20. The doll of many intentions

_Twilight Marionette: -Bows-_

_Twilight Puppeteer: -Sighs-_

_Twilight Marionette: I'm very sorry that this chapter is so terribly late but I have not been well over the last month so I apologize ahead of time for any and problems. You know, like punctuation, spelling and grammar, the usual suspects! And of course thank you, as always, to the people who read my story._

_Twilight Puppeteer: Only you could recover from Flu and then have an allergic reaction one day later. No, I'm serious people, she just walks straight out of one illness and into another. Its kinda pathetic heh heh._

_Twilight Marionette: SILENCE!_

_Twilight Puppeteer: -Coughs-_

_Twilight Marionette: I hate you..._

_**Chapter 20: The Doll of many intentions**_

"Gah! Let go of me Shinigami!" Akatsuki complained in vein as Ichigo continued to drag her towards the safety of his room. Ichigo relented slightly as they reached his door and he relaxed his arms a little.

"You going to try and run away to avoid talking to me if I let you go?" Ichigo replied sarcastically.

"Absolutely!" Akatsuki replied with equal sarcasm and laughed to herself. In response Ichigo re tightened his grip around her and forced the door to his room open before dragging her in with him. "Gah! I can't breath! Your going to kill me you brute!"

"No I'm not. Your already dead," Ichigo replied with a evil grin and kicked the door shut as he pulled the last of her body through the doorway.

"Heeeeh? That was uncalled for!" Akatsuki replied sadly and let her body go defiantly limp in Ichigo's grip.

"But undeniably true!" Ichigo replied triumphantly and dropped her in response to her going limp in his arms again. He watched curiously as she dropped hard onto her back and looked back up at him as if she had been laying there to start with.

"Can I help you with something today Shinigami-sama?" Akatsuki asked curiously and smiled back up at him which threw him off guard slightly and he walked over to the door to make sure that it was locked so that his family couldn't try and sneak into the room with their strange suspicions.

"Geez your so strange," Ichigo muttered as he locked the door and heard a subtle clicking noise behind him. He smiled to himself confidently and laughed. "The windows locked by the way, just in case you were thinking of running away or something like that." As he turned to face her his grin disappeared from his face and he looked frantically around an empty room. "I didn't know she was that quick," he said to himself in mild surprise. "Gah!"

Akatsuki grabbed him around the waist from behind and spun him around playful as he tried to get her off of him and allowed herself be thrown off of him in the direction of his bed on which she was careful to land on her back, her hair spreading out so that it covered most of the bed beneath her. "Heeeh! Your beds so much more comfortable then mine!" she complained.

Ichigo ignored her and walked over towards her but rather then try to drag her off of his bed he pulled out the chair beneath his desk and sat down. "Well, I do live here after all," he said with little interest. He had managed to get her here without too much resistance but now he was unsure how to proceed. He knew that if he just came out and asked her about the other night that she might at the very least think that he didn't trust her but the questions just kept repeating themselves in the back of his mind. He looked across at her and inwardly sighed. Akatsuki was just laying there humming without a care in the world with such a innocent and content expression, if not for the familiar tune that she was humming he might have just tried to forget about it altogether.

"That tune, I think I've heard it before somewhere," Ichigo said casually as he watched her face for any change or reaction but she didn't turn to face him and just carried on humming away. If anything he realized that the song seemed to be making her happier the longer she hummed it. _'A language of the Hollow huh? I guess even if you can't understand what the words of the song mean, the feeling it gives off can be understood by anyone.'_

"I doubt it, since I'm the only person who knows how to sing it," Akatsuki replied happily to herself and closed her eyes contently. "Plenty of people know the tune and the words but I'm the only one who knows how to sing it."

Ichigo looked down at her and furrowed his brow in puzzlement. "Wait a minute. What does that mean?" he asked with genuine curiosity. He wasn't sure if she was giving him a straight answer or not. "If other people know the tune and the words how can you be the only person who knows how to sing it?"

"But its true. Only I can sing this song like its supposed to be sung," she replied with a slightly arrogant smile.

"I don't get it," Ichigo replied and rubbed his eye in thought.

"Well I can prove it to you if you want. I can teach you how to sing it but I bet you cant!" Akatsuki replied confidently and twisted her head to up towards his face. He was staring at her intently. "Wha what is it? Did I say something weird?" she muttered to herself and found the need to look away from him in mild embarrassment.

"I heard a song just like that one last night," Ichigo tossed the statement out into the air and left it there to have its effect. Akatsuki didn't react at first but it was obviously by the way that she had stopped humming to herself that he had guessed right. He watched as she sat upright in one motion and she looked back at him with what he felt was a aggressive glare. "Was it you?"

_'Ahhh no! He knows he knows he knows! I'm such an idiot! He's never going to trust us again!'_Akatsuki's inner voice criticized.

_'You wanted to save him didn't you? It was the only way at the time. Should we have just left him there?_' Hakumei's voice resounded in her mind in response with her usual purr of a voice.

_'I know that! But still! What am I supposed to tell him!?'_Akatsuki shouted back at Hakumei in distress.

_'Well, no matter what I say your going to tell him the truth, so why worry about it. Whatever __happens afterwards is fate,'_Hakumei replied calmly as if talking down to a child.

_'Wha-whats that supposed to mean? I could just lie to him! Ichigo would never be able to tell the difference,' _Akatsuki said while inwardly shaking her head about in her hands.

_'You never could lie to the people you care about, its just your nature I guess.'_

_'C c c care about him? I don't care about him!'_

_'Now now, its not nice to be dishonest,' _Hakumei purred and then laughed far too happily for Akatsuki's liking.

"Hey Akatsuki? You OK? Your fazing out worse then usual," Ichigo said as he looked at her empty expression and waved a hand in front of her face. She seemed to be mumbling something far too quietly for him to hear. Suddenly life returned to her eyes and she looked at him in what he assumed was shock at how close his face was to hers.

"Its not true! I don't have feelings for you!" Akatsuki blurted out before she realized that she had just said that part out loud. She could feel her face turning as red as her hair under his surprised and very confused gaze. "Stupid Hakumei," Akatsuki muttered under her breath.

"Ummmm thats not what I was asking you. Damn it your so hard to talk to, seriously," Ichigo complained as he stood up to walk away from her, waving his wrist about to emphasize his point. He felt something grab his trousers and he turned around and looked down to find Akatsuki holding onto him. "Whats wrong with you all of a sudden?"

"If I tell you. If I tell you about myself, about last night. I wonder if I'll still be welcome here," Akatsuki said to herself quietly and laughed depressingly. "Did you like my song?" she asked in a curious yet melancholic tone of voice.

"So it was you. You where here last night? Ugh," Ichigo said to himself and was surprised at how shocked he was. In truth he only suspected that she had been here and he was more upset then he realized at her confession. _'If thats true, why tell me the truth?'_

"I was."

"Why? What for? What did you do to me!?" Ichigo nearly shouted at her before restraining himself.

"It felt like you were going far away," Akatsuki replied in that same melancholy filled voice.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ichigo said to himself as he remembered the night's encounter with his inner self. The feeling of suffocation and pressure that had been constantly building up against him, the feeling of emptiness falling over him as his Hollow self stood over him almost victorious. The girl who made the world shatter like glass. _'Just like so much glass.'_

"Don't get me wrong, I don't care about you or anything, its just that I thought Yuzu and Karin would be upset if their big brother went away from them. Became something so inhuman," Akatsuki carried on as if not hearing Ichigo's voice.

"You saved me?" Ichigo said to her as realization dawned on him that he hadn't even thought that that might have been the case. He inwardly cursed himself for not even trusting her enough to think she might really just have saved him from himself, nothing more.

"Idiot! I was just returning the favor! Thats all!" Akatsuki replied harshly and looked at him angrily.

"But how? How did you enter my inner world? I always thought that only me, Zangetsu and my inner Hollow existed there. Not that I'm ungrateful but how did you do it?" Ichigo asked, full of curiosity and the realization that he still knew so very little about Akatsuki as both a person and an Arrancar.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah, of course," he replied honestly.

There was something about Ichigo, something about the way he spoke that made it hard for her not to trust him deep down inside, though she would never let him know that and she made a effort to look insulted and turned away from him with her arms crossed defiantly. "Well, fine, OK if you really want to know, just try not hate me too much afterwards!" she said with defiance and then sighed at her own stupid actions.

"If you want to tell me I'll listen. And trust me! I wont hate you!" Ichigo said with infectious confidence and grinned at her.

"Ga ga gah!" Akatsuki stuttered to herself as she looked back at him with her arms raised slightly defensively. She felt a little heat in her chest at his grin and she inwardly chastised herself._'He's so damn honest! He doesn't look anything like Aizen, yet, he looks so understanding its almost annoying!'_ She sighed heavily and resigned herself to whatever was about to happen.

"I'm a Memory Walker," Akatsuki said simply and shrugged to herself.

"A _'Memory Walker'_? You mean like you read people's minds?"

"Not exactly, I can't read people's minds, only the way they feel, the emotions that are currently flowing through them. And even then only if I'm close enough to touch them," she tried to explain but was aware that Ichigo wasn't exactly following. He was about to ask another question but she raised a finger to his mouth irritably to silence him. "I'm about to get there Shinigami! I have the ability to see people's memories if I can make a connection with them."

"Like entering a person's dreams?" Ichigo asked as he swatted away her hand.

"Not exactly no. Dreams and memories are different to each other. But I can see them as well, yes."

"Wait a minute. You just said that you can't read people's minds didn't you! It sounds the same to me," Ichigo started to question with a curious intensity that took Akatsuki off guard.

"Its not the same!" Akatsuki snapped back, though more from surprise then frustration. He wasn't reacting at all like she feared he would. But then again she wondered if he understood what she was trying to say. "What I mean is, if I can make a connection with a person that trusts me I can synchronize my consciousness with theirs. If they allow me in I can then interact with their deeper thoughts and memories. I guess you could say that its like the two of us experiencing a dream together. Or at least, thats how it should be," she hesitated at the last part and was sure that Ichigo noticed.

"At least thats how it should be? What do you mean?" Ichigo noticed her dejected look and realized that whatever it was that made her hide this ability from him and Urahara was about to be explained to him. As much as he wanted to know about what she did to help him out he suddenly didn't feel right about the way she was explaining it. It felt like she was hurting herself trying to tell him. However that same feeling stopped him from stopping her.

"Though normally I would only do this with someone who was completely willing, the part about them needing to be willing is really just something that I insist on, as long as their asleep, it doesn't really matter. We don't really have that kind of relationship do we? I'm sorry but I had to force my way into your inner world, I'm so sorry." As she finished speaking her heart suddenly felt so heavy and painful and she hid her head between her knees. She felt that Ichigo would never understand why that rule was so important to her and why she felt so bad about breaking it.

"I see," Ichigo said simply and leaned against the wall and held his chin in thought. It was a lot to take in all at once and he wasn't sure he really understood most of what had been said but he sure of one thing. Akatsuki had wanted to try and help him even if it meant invading his inner world. He looked across at her, making sure to keep his expression neutral in case she was looking back at him but she was still just sat there with her head in between her knees. He didn't need to have powers like hers to tell that she was angry with herself and he realized that he couldn't be angry with her. "I guess that makes sense, it explains a lot of the things I didn't understand about you."

Akatsuki wasn't sure about how to react to his cool and calm posture and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him as she raised her head. "You do understand what I said right!? I forced my way into your mind! Aren't you even a little angry!?"

"Why would I be angry?" Ichigo responded reasonably. He crossed his arms and looked at the ceiling before closing his eyes and smiling.

"Idiot. Aren't you worried at all about it? I could have looked at all of your most precious memories! How can you act so damn cool about it?" She wasn't sure why but he was starting to annoy her to the point were she started to forget about feeling guilty. "How do you know that I haven't done this to you before? How do you know that I haven't just erased your memories of it."

"Can you?" Ichigo replied simply with that same smile.

"Well no but thats not the point!"

"Look, I won't pretend to fully understand what you did to me but you did it because you wanted to save me right?" Ichigo started to say but hesitated when Akatsuki shot him a warning glare. "You didn't want my friends and family to lose me."

Akatsuki looked at him curiously before she gave in to his annoying acceptance and sighed heavily and looked away from him and rested her head against the glass on his window. "Your really weird, you know that right?"

Ichigo looked insulted and pointed at her irritably. "I don't have to take that from you!"

* * *

"Well, I guess that things will be OK for a little while longer," the small girl in the over sized white kimono said to herself as she sat perfectly still upon the roof of Ichigo's room. A large, long white sword was tied to her back which was almost as tall as she was when standing. Her long light brown hair blew freely in the cool evening wind around her face and shoulders, hiding her face from any observers.

Even with Akatsuki in such a sorry state it was hard for Yami to remain undetected and she had feared Akatsuki's keen senses finding her. Though she considered that maybe she was just more concerned with getting Kurosaki Ichigo to trust her and her abilities. To Yami it seemed rather silly, at least to her, since Akatsuki's abilities had never been a cause for worry or concern.

Yami reached up and ran her fingers through her long hair until they reached the large, over sized black ribbon that she wore in a bow to keep some of her hair up and grinned despite herself. Yami had never cared for her appearance, it had always been something that mattered very little. But Akatsuki had changed that. Yami hated cute articles of clothing like ribbons, though she had always worn the over sized clothing but Akatsuki had insisted until Yami had finally given in.

Yami was not a person particularly prone to emotional or sentimental thoughts either but the ribbon had been a gift from Akatsuki and she would have felt guilty about not wearing it, even though she hated the thing. All it did was make her look even paler then she really was. She walked carefully back up towards the center of roof and sat down heavily with her legs crossed and she looked around carefully to make sure no one was watching her. Once she was sure that no one was watching she reached inside of her kimono and fished out another object from its deceptively large inner pockets.

A doll of questionable intent was pulled free from her kimono and she held it out in front her at arms length as if it might explode at any moment and glared at it irritably. She could feel herself getting embarrassed just looking at it and had to look away before she started moaning at it as if could talk back. "Annoying women," Yami told the doll.

The doll was what could best be described as a plushie doll of Akatsuki, except that its color scheme was different on either side of the doll. The left side of the doll had perfectly brushed pale red hair and golden a eye and wore a long white coat. It smiled back almost manically happily. The right hand side of the doll was different, its hair was more more ruffled and was golden in color. Its eye was a deep shade of red and though it also smiled as well, its always seemed like it was smirking at her. Its coat was light brown on this side and slightly longer.

The doll had been another ill thought out gift from Akatsuki and just like the ribbon it was something that made her embarrassed to look at for any longer then a few seconds. But Akatsuki had insisted and that had been that. "You realize that I hate you right?" she told the doll as it stared back happily at her with one side while the other side seemed to be laughing at her.

"_Its OK Yami-san! I'm doing fine at the moment so please don't worry about me," _the left side of the doll seemed to be saying to her wordlessly. "Its hard not to worry about you in an empty room, your such an idiot."

"_Tch. Some sister you are. Shouldn't you be trying more to help me? Such a unreliable servant!"_ the right side of the doll seemed be saying to her with its annoying smirk. "Stop calling me that!" she growled to herself and shook her head at her own insane actions.

But she was content for now.

* * *

"Akatsuki-chan!" Orihime shouted happily as she bounded towards Akatsuki, waving happily as she went. Akatsuki snickered to herself conspiratorially and opened her arms out wide to catch Orihime in her embrace. Akatsuki started to move towards Orihime but suddenly felt an icy chill run down her spine and felt something grab her hair and wrap itself up in it tightly.

Akatsuki lowered her arms slowly and nervously at the unspoken threat, careful to not do anything to provoke her attacker into a action that she would regret very painfully. "I forgot you were there Rukia-san," Akatsuki said flatly.

Rukia's eyebrow twitched unconsciously. "I'm not so sure about that," she said suspiciously. "Behave."

"Yes ma'am," Akatsuki replied promptly with a nervousness to her voice. She heard Orihime's footsteps next to her and turned to face her and was still aware that Rukia was secretly holding onto her hair.

"Hello again Akatsuki-san," Orihime said happily and brushed her fingers through her hair before flicking her hand free, sending her hair floating through the air. To Akatsuki's eyes she seemed to sparkle with a light all of her own, which annoyed her for a reason she couldn't quiet place. "I was surprised by your invitation to go shopping, not that I mind at all. It will be nice to get to know you!"

"Your so cute," Akatsuki mumbled to herself too quietly for either of them to hear but felt the pressure against her scalp tighten slightly. "Heh heh heh heh, it was Ichigo's idea that I should make an effort to get to know you all better!" Akatsuki said triumphantly and laughed with her hand in front of her mouth.

"Why are you so proud? It was Ichigo's idea," Rukia pointed out in a humorless tone of voice.

Akatsuki let her arms fall down and she slumped her body forward in defeat.

"She really is quite excitable," Orihime said with uncertainty and laughed to herself since she wasn't sure what else she should do. Rukia just shook her head in response and seemed to be doing her level best to ignore Akatsuki.

"Its normal, she's always like this. Its hard to tell what her real personality is through all of her random emotional shifts. Its probably her way of trying to fit in," Rukia replied in thought as she watched Akatsuki run from one shop window to another. "What exactly is so interesting!"

Orihime ignored Rukia's last comment but couldn't help but take attention of what she had said before. To her it didn't look Akatsuki was trying to fake anything. There was just something about the way that she acted which made it look so natural for her, even if she was acting so unnaturally. "I think its kinda cute."

"Don't encourage her," Rukia watched with suspicion as Akatsuki froze in front of a shop window and it might have been her imagination or a sixth sense but she readied herself. Akatsuki seemed to point at something accusingly in the window and immediately started to argue with it and ran towards the entrance. Rukia was already increasing her walking speed and marched off after her. "Get back here!"

"Poor Rukia," Orihime said to herself and laughed.

* * *

Ichigo watched curiously but couldn't help but smile. In truth things hadn't been as simple as Rukia had told Orihime but Ichigo had no intention of anyone finding out. It had all been Isshin's transparent idea to get Ichigo and Akatsuki to spend some time together alone and had even gone so far as to think out an excuse to arrange it.

"_You cant expect her to wear just that uniform all of the time Ichigo! You should take her out to buy some more clothes!" _is what Isshin had said in what he probaly thought had been a nonchalent tone of voice. Ichigo might have fallen for it if it hadn't been for the fact that he couldn't help grinning to himself as he carried on. Ichigo had known that something like this was going to happen, both his father and Yuzu had far too much imagination for their own and his own good. That had been when Rukia had knocked on the door.

"Sorry Rukia but I need you to handle this for me," Ichigosaid to himself before turning to walk away. It was actually kind of painful to watch Akatsuki bounding up and down happily like that because she had seemed very quiet and almost jumpy this morning. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or worried about it. But Ishida's message had him concerned and with Akatsuki looking so down he thought it best to leave her out of things, at least for now.

Ichigo looked up to the rooftops on both sides of the street before he turned the corner of the road and then turned into a narrower street away from the bustling crowds of people. Almost like clockwork Ishida also turned the corner into the same street and nodded approvingly at Ichigo's punctuality.

"Akatsuki isn't with you? I thought you would have brought her along," Ishida said quietly as he looked around cautiously before letting his guard down. He had arranged to meet Ichigo here at this time but he was surprised that Akatsuki had not come along and wondered if something had happened to make Ichigo leave her out of the loop. But he also considered that this was a much better situation for what he had come to do. "Any sign of her?"

"Nothing. Are you sure about this? If Rukia or Akatsuki find out about this they are going to kill me, for very different reasons" Ichigo replied gravely and shook his head.

"Positive," Ishida replied plain and simply. "She was on your roof for a fair amount of time before she left and I lost track of her.

"Damn it, I wonder if Akatsuki noticed her."

"I couldn't say. My reply depends upon how much trust you place in her," Ishida replied more harshly then he had intended to but he needed to get his point across clearly. Ichigo smiled back at him without any hesitation.

"I trust her."

"Then I think its safe to say that she didn't notice her at all. Though I'm not too surprised, even though Akatsuki has far superior sensory capabilities to you she probably never even noticed anything at all," Ishida said analytically and suppressed a grin at Ichigo's insulted expression. "Even though I was looking right her it sometimes felt as though she wasn't there, it was very disconcerting to say the least I can assure you. If I hadn't followed her before I would have never even noticed her it the first place."

"Heh, even you huh?" Ichigo commented but Ishida shrugged off the comment to his mild annoyance.

"The fact that Akatsuki isn't with you today may work out in our favor after all, since I now know who and what she's after. Its safe to assume that Akatsuki is the one she is after. Without me or you with her she will be much more likely to show herself."

"That's not good at all, I left her with Rukia and Orihime!" Ichigo nearly shouted at Ishida and was about to run after them when Ishida gently but firmly grabbed him by the wrist to stop him.

"Calm down Ichigo," Ishida said more to himself then Ichigo.

"But!" Ichigo said before he realized that Ishida was looking slightly down at the floor and was shaking his head ever so subtly. "What is it?"

Ishida let go of Ichigo's wrist and slowly but cautiously turned his head to look behind him. He inwardly chastised himself for not noticing sooner as he looked down at the girl standing several meters behind him. It was her alright, those same same over sized clothes with the long brown hair and large sword tied to her back. "I see," he said to himself and forced himself to remain still.

"So your the one who's after Akatsuki now?" Ichigo said as moved to face the girl. She was a little shorter then Rukia but her posture and aura kept him on edge, stopping him from being fooled by her childish appearance. The girl seemed to consider the two of them for a moment but failed to reply at first. "Answer me!"

Yami stared back at the two of them and wondered what she was supposed to say in situations like this. Dealing with her own kind was easy, she knew how they thought. But dealing with a human and a Quincy left her feeling slightly uneasy. _'Sneaking up on them wasn't a very good first step,' _she mentally criticized herself. Being good with people was not the kind of thing she was good or comfortable at. Especially people she hated. "Don't be so rude substitute Shinigami. You don't need to shout, I can hear you just fine."

"Why reveal yourself? What is it you want?" Ishida remarked calmly.

Yami knew who he was, Kurosaki Ichigo, she had been around when he and his comrades had raided Hueco Mundo to rescue the human girl, Orihime Inoue from Aizen and the other Espada. She knew all this and yet the frustration in her chest was burning away inside of her. In was her responsibility to protect Akatsuki. She reached up to her chest and tightly grabbed her kimono between her fingers and breathed deeply in and out before looking back up at Ichigo with a wry smile. "I want to see how fast you are, Ku-ro-sa-ki Ichigo, I want to see if you can really protect Akatsuki from us."

"Damn it! Why won't you people leave her alone! What is it she's supposed to have done?" Ichigo roared as he reached inside of his shirt and pulled out the seal which he used to separate his real body from his spiritual form and slammed it hard into his chest. In the exact moment he pulled free the Arrancar launched herself towards him with surprising speed and cut down towards him. The blow lacked a lot of force and Ichigo was able to block it easily and in one swift motion he pushed her backwards into the air away from him.

Ishida watched as the Arrancar was pushed backwards by Ichigo. As she flew backwards away from Ichigo she casually reached inside her kimono and pulled a medium sized object out from the inner folds. Just before Ichigo reached her she looked across to him and threw the object with surprising force towards him, which he caught absent mindedly. As Ichigo's sword extended towards her she suddenly flashed backwards away from Ichigo and before Ishida could say anything Ichigo had used shunpo as well.

He would have followed as well but something about the situation seemed rather off. It seemed to him that the Arrancar girl was only interested in Ichigo and he wondered if it was him she had been watching last night and not Akatsuki at all. In hindsight it looked like she hadn't come here to fight at all but somehow seeing Ichigo had changed all of that. He then remembered her throwing something at him and he realized that he was holding onto something big and soft and raised it up to eye level. "A Doll? Of Akatsuki?" he said to himself and suddenly understood what the girl had meant by _'protect her from us.'_

"Well, its a little crude but its not bad attempt all the same," he said about both the Doll and the Arrancar girl.

* * *

"So you like dolls?" Orihime asked curiously as the three of them casually walked along the side of the road. Akatsuki had calmed down a lot now compared to earlier and was acting far more maturely. To her it seemed like Akatsuki always had such a contented look on her face, as if there was always something interesting going on inside her head.

"Hmmmm?" Akatsuki hummed at her curiously and looked at Orihime with questioning eyes. "Why would you think that?" she asked in a far more mature voice then usual.

"Oh I don't know, it might have had something to do with you barging into a doll store and me having to drag you out," Rukia replied patiently and sighed as Akatsuki look towards her questioningly as well.

"It wasn't that, its just that I thought I saw something in the window that shouldn't be here, so I got a little emotional," Akatsuki replied innocently and smiled at Rukia.

"A doll?" Rukia asked patiently.

"Something like that."

"A doll that belongs to you? I didn't know that Arrancar's have dolls just like humans do," Orihime said as she tried to imagine what kind of dolls a grownup Arrancar woman would play with.

"Me? No! No way! Dolls are kinda creepy you know?" Akatsuki shivered to herself as she went on. "But my servant," Akatsuki hesitated for a moment and silently mouthed the words she wanted to say before nodding to herself with determination. "My big sister, I mean my um uhhh best friend likes dolls very much so I made her one of me," Akatsuki said while trying to not look suspicious.

"You have a sister? Do Hollow even have relatives? I mean I know Nel had her brothers but they weren't really related by blood or anything," Rukia said and didn't look convinced as she looked back sceptically at Akatsuki.

"Heh heh heh, well, technically were not related but that doesn't matter!" Akatsuki smiled to herself and blushed.

"So, are you and Ichigo close?" Orihime asked and her face lit up a little as she spoke. She knew all the facts about their relationship with each other but she couldn't help but feel curious, after all, they were living under the same roof as each other. It was only right as a concerned friend that she know. That thought made her blush and she shook her head to push worse thoughts out of her mind.

"Their not that close!" Orihime almost shouted with determination before Akatsuki had had time to answer. Orihime looked at Akatsuki's curious expression and then to Rukia's apathetic expression and laughed to herself. Rukia smiled back and Akatsuki smiled back far too suspiciously.

"Heh heh, no, not really. At least I don't think so," Akatsuki replied happily and waved her hand around as if dismissing the questions existence and carried on laughing suspiciously to herself.

"Ohhhhhhh something did happen didn't it!?" Orihime chimed in suddenly with more enthusiasm then Akatsuki had been expecting and she raised her hands defensively without thinking. Orihime grabbed Akatsuki's hands with her own and pulled their faces closer together before Akatsuki could react.

"Nothing happened, really," Akatsuki said calmly and tried to look to Rukia for support but found that Rukia was looking at her sidelong with a smirk on her lips. She was all alone in uncomfortable territory. "Nothing at all!"

"So something did happen!" Orihime said triumphantly and congratulated herself.

"I just said that it didn't!" Akatsuki tried to pull away from Orihime without exerting any force but Orihime seemed intent on keeping her close. It was true that nothing had happened between them so she wondered why she sounded so guilty when she told the truth. _'Your jealous arn't you, i can feel it.'_Akatsuki's expression slowly shifted towards a roughish grin which made Orihime look suddenly worried. "Well, other then sneaking into his bedroom late at night to help him get to sleep," Akatsuki replied innocetly.

Before either Orihime or Akatsuki could react Rukia tightened her fingers deeply into Akatsuki's hair and suddenly yanked her backwards so that Akatsuki was left whining in pain and trying to stop herself from falling over backwards.

"You shouldn't tell lies like that," Rukia explained calmly in a lecturing tone of voice as Akatsuki stood there, half knelt down, rubbing her head. Orihime patted Akatsuki on the head sympathetically but couldn't resist giggling at her. Akatsuki suddenly shot upright and turned towards Rukia and glared down at her and Rukia suddenly became acutely aware that Akatsuki was taller then her.

"Don't ever do that again!" Akatsuki tried to say threateningly but was aware that it lacked the effect she was hoping for with tears still in the corner of her eyes. Instead of reacting Rukia just casually raised her hand up towards Akatsuki's forehead.

Rukia flicked Akatsuki in the forehead which sent her reeling backwards clutching her head. "Come on, lets go before it starts to get hungry," Rukia said as she took the laughing Orihime by the hand and walked off with her towards the nearest clothing store that she could see.

"Tch tch tch! That hurt! Don't you ignore me!" Akatsuki wailed as she ran after Rukia and Orihime. Just as she was about to catchup with them a pulse shot through her body and she suddenly felt dizzy and her heart suddenly felt like it was going to burst through her chest. Her vision started to blur and shake but only for a brief moment and then the moment passed. She looked around at the concerned faces of passersby and laughed nervously to calm their worries. She looked around and saw Orihime waving her over from inside the store and she ran after them.

She had never been clothes shopping before, she decided it might be a fun distraction after all.

* * *

Ichigo released his attack as the girl fell backwards through the air as if she was happy to just be sent flying backwards and made no attempt to right herself. It reminded Ichigo of the way a doll flew through the air if you threw it. The arc screeched its way towards the unresisting girl. Moments before the arc of energy was about to hit the girl she suddenly opened her eyes wide open, as if waking up to find herself under attack and her body seemed to come alive instantly.

In Yami's eyes the attacked seemed to slowly down to almost a snails pace and she even had time to sigh before using sonido to avoid the attack. Yami landed lightly in mid air a good distance away from the attacks path but she failed to notice that behind the mass of energy that Ichigo had already moved.

Ichigo launched himself at her unguarded left side and gritted his teeth when she manged to react to his presence just before his blade made contact. His sword cut into thin air as the small bodied girl gracefully jumped over the swing on his sword and lightly kicked him in the face with both feet. The kick lacked any real power and Ichigo realized that she was using it to propel herself backwards away from him. "Damn it! Get back here!" he shouted at her as the girl fell backwards with an uninterested expression on her face.

"Your fast," Yami commented in a curious way which seemed at odds with her laid back, uninterested expression. "Even faster then you were before."

"What the? How do you know me?" Ichigo shouted as he launched himself after her. This time he reached her much faster and she didn't seem to snap out of whatever trance it was that she was in before he attacked her again. He lifted his sword upwards and sliced down across towards her body with a diagonal cut. Much to his own surprise she didn't even react as the blade sliced across her body. However he quickly realized that he had somehow managed to miss her by less then a faction of a centimeter.

As the the sword passed harmlessly in front of her Yami sighed heavily. _'Theres no way I can win against this kind of guy, he's just too persistent for his own good. I guess I really do have nothing to worry about. At this rate I'm going to lose pretty quickly,' _Yami thought to herself as she raised her hand up and formed the rough shape of a gun and pointed it towards Ichigo.

Ichigo watched as she lazily raised her hand towards him and pointed her finger at him as if she was pretending to hold a gun. Before he was able to swing at her again he noticed black lines of light stream in towards the end of her finger where it quickly gathered into a small ball of rapidly spinning black and red Cero energy. Before he even had time to think about it his body reacted on instinct and he was already pulling Zangetsu back in front of him when her thumb snapped down like the hammer of a gun.

"Bang," Yami said less then enthusiastically but with a childish grin that was at odds with her tone of voice. Her hand snapped backwards as the Cero shot forwards from her hand and sent her hurtling backwards through the sky.

The Cero energy slammed into Ichigo's sword and it pressed the flat of his sword all the way back to his body as the swirling bullet of Cero blast tried to drill through his weapon. He watched in annoyance as the girl flew away from him again, only this time she was smiling at him mischievously. "Get back here!" he roared as he pushed the weakening attack away to his side and set off after her again.

"Only if you promise to stop waving that thing around! Its dangerous you know," Yami shouted back in the dull tone of one who expected to be ignored.

Ichigo watched in frustration as a gateway to Hueco Mundo formed behind her as she flew backwards through the air. The girl stared back at him with determination before she seemed to reach a decision and waved to him as she entered the mouth of the gateway.

Yami grabbed the upper lip of the gateway and slowed herself down and landed carefully so that she was standing in the middle of the gate. Ichigo stopped as well, suddenly not feeling any intent to fight on Yami's part and stared back at her with cautious determination. "You better not fail Kurosaki Ichigo! I'm counting on you to stop us!" Yami shouted back at him and grinned maliciously to which Ichigo also grinned back at her.

"Count on it!" he shouted back confidently. She didn't say anything but casually turned away from him and started to walk into the darkness beyond the opening and the gate slammed shut as she disappeared from sight.

* * *

"Ahhhhh there you are young lady, I've been looking all over for you," Gin chirped cheerfully as he strode towards the diminutive Arrancar girl. He grinned happily as she slowly turned her head to face him with an expression of pure annoyance which seemed to suit her so well.

"What is it Ichimaru Gin?" Yami replied sarcastically as she watched Gin walk over towards her with what seemed like some kind of purpose.

"How aggressive," Gin replied in his oily voice.

"Leave me alone Ichimaru Gin," Yami started to walk away from Gin when she felt a sudden and subtle change in the air. His arms where suddenly wrapped around her shoulders and Gin's chin was resting by her neck.

"You should be more carefully about who you take that tone of voice with young lady, I know you've been to the world of the living even though you were told not to. Whats the matter? Were you lonely? Worried about what she might have gotten herself into all by herself. Or maybe you were planning on leaving us as well?" Gin purred in a threatening manner into Yami's ear and was impressed by how little she reacted to his taunts and threats. He always found the ones who didn't fear him to be the most amusing to play with but Yami was something different, she honestly looked down on him, even though she was aware of who and what he was.

Yami didn't reply and instead just looked into his barely open eyes with little interest or fear. "Since when was I forbidden from leaving this place?" she replied in a voice far too cheerful for the serious look she had on her face.

"Tut tut. And I was going to tell you about what had happened to Akatsuki-san the other day as well. Its such a shame really, I know that you were close to her. But never mind," this time Gin got a reaction and his heart soared in amusement. Her eyes changed from their cold and evil glare to a look of almost pure innocent concern. He noticed her clench her fists and was fighting the urge to attack him.

"You bastard!" she growled just loud enough for Gin to hear but quiet enough for it to be non threatening.

"Just kidding!" Gin laughed happily to himself and released his grip around her body and moved away from her. "I'm just making sure you understand the situation. Personally I'd love nothing more then to kill you but you are, after all, one of Kaname's aren't you. He'd give me such a stare." When Yami failed to react he carried on regardless. "I know that it was your job to protect her but do you really think that you can help her anymore. There's just nothing you can do. Its completely out of your hands," Gin mocked in a singsong tone of voice as he walked off in the opposite direction

Yami shook her head and looked at the floor downcast and waited for the sound of Gin's footsteps to become and faint and then fade altogether, until it was just her and the vast empty corridor.


	21. Limited Potential

_Twilight Marionette: Kyaaaa!_

_Twilight Puppeteer: Ummmm?_

_Twilight Marionette: Bleh!_

_Twilight Puppeteer: How about I do the talking this time? As usual I'm sure she wants to thank those who read her story as it gives her a warm fuzzy feeling inside her, I think. She's not completely happy with this chapter but she's in a funny mode just lately and so I made her post it anyway! Have Fun._

_Twilight Marionette: Wait wait!_

_**Chapter 21: Limited Potential**_

"Training? Why?" Akatsuki mumbled as she chewed on a cracker she had only moments before stolen from Isshin. Her acute hearing could hear Isshin mumbled about her in the other room and she couldn't help but grin evilly to herself.

"Heh, I wonder," Ichigo replied sarcastically. "Oh you've got a bit of cracker on your nose." Ichigo motioned to her face and she tried to look down her nose, trying in vain to reach it with her tongue. Ichigo reached forward and careful picked it off and placed it front her mouth.

* * *

"Any progress on that task you were given," Aizen asked casually as he sat languidly in his throne. Before him stood Gin and one of his many servants, a blond haired woman whose name escaped him at the moment though that bothered him very little. He regarded her unapologetically as she tried adamantly to avoid making eye contact with anyone else in the room. Whatever her name was, she looked worse for wear, her face was bruised and bandaged and he could tell by the look on her face that standing to attention was painful as well.

"As a matter of fact, yes there has been," Gin replied confidently and then shrugged his shoulders. "But not as much as we would have wanted."

"Excellent, I would hate to think that I lost something so precious for so little progress," Aizen replied in the same laid back manner as before. He looked back at the nerve wracked woman standing behind Gin and smiled. "We have much to discuss."

Otono looked up and around suddenly as if she had been caught in a daze the whole time and bowed her head apologetically. "Yes Aizen-sama," Otono said without being asked and made haste to leave the throne room.

Otono wasn't so slow witted as to not take a friendly hint when it was given and was grateful for the chance to leave. She carefully slipped through the door way to the throne room, making sure to make as little noise as possible. She was about to hurry back to her room when something strange came over her and she quietly stopped and turned around. _'What the hell am I doing?' _she chastised herself mentally as she quietly crept back up to the throne room door. Beyond she could hear the voices of the three Shinigami captains.

"As you can see, the reaction wasn't as much as we had hoped for but its much better then we had feared," Otono could hear Gin saying, his voice made her shiver even at this distance. She pressed herself against the wall, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest and every breath sounded so very loud. But something compelled her to keep listening.

"But there was no song?" Kaname Tousen asked with mild curiosity in a relaxed voice.

"Not that I could tell but Otono's injuries speak for themselves. If she had followed my instructions to the letter Akatsuki should have already long since burned out of her own strength. But your right, there was no song," Gin replied apathetically.

"Of course, until she is fixed we can't expect her to sing the song to its maximum potential regardless," Aizen pointed out vaguely. For a moment Otono could hear nothing, as if all three of them were in deep thought. Suddenly she feared that she had been discovered and was about to flee when Kaname spoke up again to break the silence.

"Did we miscalculate perhaps? It is possible that she lacks the potential to complete the song in the first place. If so then we are wasting our time and this farce is pointless," Kaname said reservedly to the other two. Otono had no idea what they were talking about but still she couldn't bring herself to pull away._ 'Akatsuki sang songs for Aizen all of the time. What are they talking about? I thought she was just Aizen's favorite plaything!'_

"No. I have a feeling that she will not let me down. She always did try her best to please me after all. Poor thing. I almost feel sorry for her," Aizen said unapologetically and Otono heard Gin snicker to himself which made her grit her teeth.

"It was, necessary," Kaname said stoically.

"I wonder if she saw it that way?" Gin replied in the same mocking tone. "But I have to wonder if she actually learned anything when she broke in there. To me she didn't seem that much different from just before we arranged for her to hear some rather interesting truths. Its possible that she failed and thats why she never returned."

"Or perhaps she can't remember what she learned there. It would not surprise me. That other one is very protective of her and might have sealed her memories away, just like she did before," Kaname replied in thought.

"Its of no consequence. We have plenty of time for our songstress to return. After all, once she remembers what happened she will find that she has nowhere else to go." Aizen smiled to himself as he spoke and nodded his head subtly. It was all a grand farce but everything was going according to plan.

"What are they talking about?" Otono hissed quietly to herself and her heart skipped a beat when she realized that she had said it out loud.

"Oh?" Gin purred evilly to himself and started to walk towards the doorway of the throne room. His fingers flexed in anticipation as he neared the entrance.

Otono froze in fear as Gin's reiatsu pressed against her like a torrent of water and all she could do was shake against it. No matter how much she tried she couldn't resist it. She could hear him getting closer and closer, each footstep felt like a weight pressing down on her head. He stopped for a moment just in front of the door before taking another step and Otono cursed her own fate. It was then that something flashed silently and briefly in front of her but she couldn't even look down. She felt arms wrap around her waist and a hand around her mouth tightly yet gently.

Gin pushed the door open so that he could peer around into the hallway outside to see who his eavesdropping guest had been but found nothing to see in the vast, empty corridor's of Las Noches.

* * *

"Gah! What do you think your doing?" Otono stuttered and coughed as the hand was finally removed from her mouth by the person stood behind her. It had happened so suddenly that she didn't even realize that someone was carrying her away until they had started moving across the ceiling and by then there was nothing to be done. Not wanting to sound ungrateful however she coughed politely and said "Thank you," as she got to her feet and dusted herself off.

"Heh, I'm not even sure why I did that," a familiar female voice responded innocently and Otono was sure that she recognized that voice. Otono turned around but found no one there and for a small moment she wondered if whoever had whisked her off had left already. Then as she remembered the voice she looked down and saw a rather annoyed looking Yami. "Ha ha very funny!"

"I'm sorry?" Otono apologized without knowing what she was apologizing for. Without even answering Yami turned around and started to walk away from her.

Otono looked around herself but was slightly nervous when she realized that she didn't know where she was. Las Noches was a big place and to outsiders, its endless halls and rooms all looked the same as one another but to someone who had spent most of their time here there were subtle differences between the different territories. And Otono was lost. "Damn it," she said nervously as she looked around herself. In theory everything that lived here was on the same side, however that usually didn't count for very much at all.

Otono might just have been paranoid but she was sure the shadows were moving ever so slightly and that there were quiet voices all around. By nature she was a fairly brave person, you had to be to survive working under Ichimaru Gin but she also was not a fool and decided it was best to stick with her rescuer, at least for now. "Come back here Yami! Wait for me!"

Yami didn't acknowledge Otono's voice but also made no comment when Otono fell in line behind her. After a while of uncomfortable silence Yami suddenly stopped and Otono nearly walked into her as she was still trying to work out her exact location. "What is it?" Yami asked nonchalantly.

"What do you mean "What is it?"! I have no idea where I am," Otono justified her presence behind Yami. Yami cocked her head on its side as she turned to face Otono and Otono felt as if she was being evaluated. By all rights she was stronger then Yami, the difference in numbers proved as much yet for some reason she could never fully work out why the small Arrancar always made her nervous.

Yami looked around herself and up along the walls and ceilings and Otono followed suit if just out of random curiosity. "This is Grimmjow's territory," Yami said in mild disinterest before turning around to carry on walking.

It suddenly occurred to Otono that Yami had had to look around before she could tell where they were and Otono wondered for the first time if it was good idea to be following Yami at all. However she quickly realized it was still for the best, after all if this was Grimmjow's territory as Yami had said then she defiantly didn't want to be alone here. "Where are we going?"

"My room," Yami replied without bothering to explain any more.

* * *

"Its so big," Akatsuki chimed happily to herself as she ran forwards from the base of the ladder. She scooped up some of the sand between her fingers and let it pour through the spaces. She was aware of the others coming up behind her but she let the sand hold her attention until the very last grain had slipped away. "Sand doesn't feel right," she said quietly to herself and shrugged.

"You act surprised but you don't sound all that impressed," Urahara commented dryly as he walked past the kneeling Akatsuki.

"Are you looking for a compliment?" Akatsuki replied sarcastically.

Ichigo stood over top of her as he looked around the now all too familiar training grounds under Urahara's shop. He had been amazed the first time he had seen it but not it just seemed so normal as to not be worth commenting on. It was kind of refreshing to see someone appreciate it, even if she was badly faking it to annoy Urahara.

Ishida was the last to make it down the ladder and he watched in mild fascination as Urahara and Akatsuki seemed to be trying ti stare each other out. He would have already made it down the ladder but Akatsuki had firmly yet politely insisted that she be allowed to go down first and had almost frantically pushed him out of the way.

Apparently she had no intention of allowing anyone to look up at her as she was climbing down the ladder which Ishida thought was ridiculous for two reasons, one, he had no intention of doing any thing of that nature to any girl and two, it was not like she was wearing a skirt to look up in the first place since she was wearing what appeared to be a white version on a shinigami kimono. However bringing this up at the time sounded like a bad idea and he had just let her get her own way.

"You could at least pretend that your surprised by all of this!" Urahara pointed out, his pride slightly hurt at her lack of recognition.

"I knew there was something down here, I sensed it the first time I came here, you know, when Ururu-chan tried to smash me," Akatsuki grinned evilly at Urahara and he waved his hand up and down apologetically.

"Thats all in the past now Hollow girl," Urahara replied happily and Akatsuki sighed heavily.

"So why did you bring me here Ichigo?" Akatsuki asked apathetically and dusted herself off as she got to her feet lazily.

"Idiot, I told you. Training."

"Then whats Mr Quincy doing here?" Akatsuki inwardly smiled to herself as Ishida looked insulted at the remark but managed to refrain from reacting.

"Oh, he's here to help Ichigo with the training!" Urahara had wanted to see Akatsuki in action for some time now since he had learned of her soul's unstable nature. He was sure that her ill nature was linked to the use of her spiritual energy, or rather, the over use of it. If he was right then her soul could only store a very limited amount of spiritual energy before it stopped altogether. The easiest way he could think of describing it to Ichigo was like trying to fill a glass with water. If the glass is intact then it fills normally, but if the glass is full of cracks and missing pieces then no matter how long a time passes it will never fill beyond that point. If he was to try and help her the first thing he needed to understand was her powers and her limitations.

"So what kind of training is this any way. I'm not much of a fighter you know." Akatsuki sighed to herself depressingly. Akatsuki was aware of the sound of the ladder being drawn up quietly, as if someone was trying to avoid her noticing and she cursed herself for coming here with Ichigo. It was just that for the moment at least she still felt bad about what she had done to him and was being as cooperative as her pride would allow. "If you want me to fight with the Quincy, I accept!" Akatsuki said enthusiastically and clenched her fists together.

"Thats kind of depressing," Ishida said quietly to himself so that no one else could hear. Akatsuki turned to face him and walked towards him with an unsettling look of determination of her face. She stopped in front of him and looked into his eyes sympathetically. "What?"

"What? No no no your not going to be fighting Ishida, oh no," Urahara replied happily and Akatsuki stared back towards him with what started out at first as a look of confusion which rapidly changed into a look of mild trepidation. "And before you get ahead of yourself your not training with me either, me and Ishida are just here to observe."

"Then that means, Ichigo!?" Akatsuki looked at Ichigo pleadingly and pointed at him accusingly.

"Whats wrong with that?" Ichigo wasn't sure if he should feel insulted or just confused and settled for both.

"I-id-id-idiot! I know how strong you are!"

"Its not like I'll be trying to kill you or anything jeez! Since you use a close range weapon I'm the best person to train against," Ichigo replied patiently. Akatsuki was starting to remind him of an animal caught in a cars headlights and he dreaded to think of all of the dreadful scenarios taking root inside her weird mind.

"Thats right Hollow girl! Ichigo will be limiting his power to their base level. He won't be using his Bankai or Hollow powers on you after all," Urahara replied far too cheerfully as she looked at the three of them pleadingly and then she seemed to simply give up and sigh in resignation.

"Thats not very reassuring!" Akatsuki snapped back.

* * *

Ichigo brandished Zangetsu and performed a few test cuts at the empty air before spinning the sword around and letting it come to rest on his shoulder. It had been a while since he had had a training session at such a low level and wondered if Urahara was being far too pessimistic about Akatsuki's potential. Looking across at her did not reassure him, as he watched her she stood nervously with her Zanpakuto wrapped tightly in both hands as she looked around almost nervously. "Hey! Theres nothing to worry about you know. Were only training after all, its not like either of us is going to get hurt too badly."

"Thats easy for you to say Shinigami!" Akatsuki shouted back at Ichigo and looked away from him with her arms still crossed around her Zanpakuto. She was nervous but at the same time she was excited, she was not a natural fighter like the others, not just because she wasn't as skilled as them but also because she showed no interest in learning. She always told herself that she could care less that no one ever asked her to train with them it felt kind of nice to be asked to train. "You better not let him kill me!" Akatsuki shouted at Urahara and pointed at him accusingly.

"Me? Why would you need to say that Hollow girl? Am I that unreliable in your eyes?" Urahara feigned insult for a moment before grinning back at her. "I did find that package for you didn't I? I can't be that unreliable."

"Gah!"

"What package?" Ichigo asked curiously. He knew that Akatsuki spent a lot of time here at Urahara's shop and what she did here wasn't his business but the way Akatsuki suddenly went quiet and submissive was curious.

"Oh that? Its nothing really it was just a-" Urahara started to say but went silent as he felt a large concentration of Cero energy being aimed in his direction.

"You promised!" Akatsuki almost pleaded with him even though she had a Cero aimed in his direction.

Ishida, who had remained silent for the most part continued to do so, it was clear that Urahara was trying to rile her up deliberately and its was also obvious to his trained eyes that Akatsuki's Cero was being aimed to miss._ 'How childish,' _he thought to himself as he watched the three of them messing around. Akatsuki turned to face Ichigo again as Urahara, careful to not draw attention to himself walked up behind Ishida before speaking quietly with his back to everyone. "Something interesting happened the other day. I imagine Ichigo has already told you about that but there is something I want to show you later."

"Oh ho, I see. Something Akatsuki-san isn't allowed to see?" Urahara replied roguishly without turning to face Ishida.

"Something like that," Ishida replied confidently before returning to where he had been loitering.

Urahara clapped his hands together happily to get everyones attention and shot them a wide mouthed smile as he spoke. "Lets start shall we!"

"Right." Ichigo turned back towards Akatsuki and leveled Zangetsu straight towards her and sighed when she flinched defensively in shock. She had been able to defeat Ikkaku which put her automatically in a certain level power wise but it was also the the case that Ikkaku hadn't gone all out either and had lowered his level deliberately. There was also the time during that fight when, ever though just for a few moments Akatsuki had become extremely focused and her movements had changed. Not using Bankai might not have been the best idea if she she became like that again.

Akatsuki looked up at the fake sky in thought and smiled. "You want me to go all out right?" she shouted towards Urahara without looking down from the ceiling. She tightened her grip around Hakumei and closed her eyes. Akatsuki was aware of the sound of people's voices but they all gently faded in the darkness.

In the darkness of her inner mind she pictured a scythe floating in front of her, nearly 9 feet long along its pole with a large arced blade nearly 5 feet long and 2 feet tall at its widest point. Akatsuki walked silently towards it across an invisible floor that rippled like water whenever she took a step. She reached out towards the scythe and as her fingers reached the metal of the pole a hand came out of the darkness and forcefully took hold of her wrist.

Akatsuki turned to face Hakumei and smiled at her innocently. "I need a little power. Can you let me use it please?"

Hakumei looked at her critically with a serious expression before quickly relenting and smiling wickedly back at Akatsuki. "Only a little." Hakumei wrapped her fingers around Akatsuki's and they took hold of the scythe together. As theit hands closed around the pole of the scythe the darkness exploded away from the scythe as if blown by a huge gust of wind, revealing a blue world full of water and light. The water under the scythe rippled outwards.

Akatsuki opened her eyes and found herself looking back at the fake sky and sighed to herself. "Ready when you are Shinigami-sama." She looked down time just in time to see Ichigo flash towards her and appear in front of her a fraction of a moment later, his sword raised and heading down towards her. "So fast," Akatsuki said with no concern. Her suddenly red eyes stared into Ichigo's.

* * *

For a split second moment there was nothing but the sound of broken stone crunching as it hit the ground. The air was strangely still and Ichigo feared the worst. Ichigo wondered if he hadn't suppressed his powers enough or if Akatsuki really was that physically weak. She hadn't even had chance to draw her sword as he had launched himself towards her, instead blocking with her sword still sheathed which caused red sparks to fly furiously as she was sent hurting backwards into one of the many rock formations that dotted the training grounds.

Ichigo was about to put his sword away when the slightest of movements in the dust cloud caught his eyes and something instinctual inside him made him go on the offensive again. It had been something he only realized now as the spiritual pressure in the air fluctuated, her eyes had changed color at the moment she had looked down at him to a red he had seen before.

The air inside the dust cloud suddenly burst apart with great force as a tornado of wind dispersed the sand cloud. "Claw Cyclone!" Akatsuki yelled with determination and sliced her scythe in three different directions in rapid succession. Each slice sent an arc of red energy flying off in that direction and all three altered direction towards Ichigo, converging towards him with impressive speed.

Ichigo skidded to a halt as he dodged the first arc by stepping out of its way. His reactions were just quick enough to realize that the second and third arcs had not been converging exactly towards him and that he was only now in front of them. He managed to quickly step backwards to dodge the second and he was blinded for a moment as the arc exploded as it hit the ground with shocking force. Through the dust sent up by the explosion the third arc of red spirit energy cut its way straight towards Ichigo and he knew he couldn't dodge this one. Instead he blocked it using the broadside of Zangetsu's blade and the force pushed him along the ground.

Ichigo sliced outwards to push the weakening attack away from him. Akatsuki appeared behind, her body seemingly suspended in the air and she looked down at him with a look of amused determination on her face and her large scythe held ready to swing downwards. She saw Ichigo twist his neck just as she sliced downwards towards his back.

Ichigo quickly span his body around and raised his sword up defensively. Ichigo slammed his sword into the pole of the scythe to stops its movement but it was not enough and he felt part of black blade slice into his shoulder. As a sharp and burning pain cut into his shoulder he realized that the blade extended far too much for him to block her weapon by anything but its blade. He wondered what the damage would have been if he had been just a little further away from her when he blocked.

"Akatsuki?" Ichigo mouthed to himself as he looked at her eyes. Her hair had also turned blond though the shade was far weaker then the other Akatsuki had had met.

Ishida reminded himself of the doll that the smaller Arrancar had thrown to him and realized that this is what the doll had been showing him, two different souls tied together but sharing the same shape. However, there was something strange about her. It felt completely different to what happened to Ichigo with his Hollow mask, he didn't feel any anger or rage coming from her even through she had come at Ichigo with such brute force.

Ishida watched as Ichigo roared, pushing Akatsuki backwards by sheer force and was impressed by the light footed grace with which she span backwards and leaped into the air before her feet had barely touched the ground to avoid Ichigo's forwards lunge.

Glad of the distance Ichigo reached up to his shoulder and held it tightly and was relieved to find that it wasn't cut as deeply as it felt. He was impressed that someone like Akatsuki would be able to use such a large and awkward weapon so easily and wondered if she was somehow making it lighter with her reiatsu. Akatsuki stood atop the pole of her scythe looking down at him, the large blade somehow balanced on the floor. _'I'll just knock her down down from up there!'_

Akatsuki stepped off of the edge of the scythe and fell straight down into Ichigo's path as he was about to swing at pole of her weapon. Landing lightly she reached behind her and wrapped her fingers around the pole and almost to quick to see slice forwards across where Ichigo's body should have been.

_'Too close!'_ Ichigo thought to himself in a sweat as the large blade of the scythe cut through the air inches from his stomach. She wasn't as fast as was but he knew that the range of her weapon gave her a huge advantage if she could keep him at this kind of distance. Luckily this time he had worked out her trap moments before her fingers had touched her weapon and had been able to leap backwards. He realized that he didn't have a lot of experience at fighting opponents with such large weapons and until he could read her moves he had to stay on the defensive.

Akatsuki tutted in annoyance as Ichigo leaped backwards just out of range. "Thats not fair!"

"Huh!?" Ichigo exclaimed as Akatsuki launched herself towards him with a powerful sweep of her scythe. This time time she had both hands on the pole and Ichigo realized that the sweep wouldn't have as big a range as last time. He feigned another leap backwards but as the blade passed by him he quickly lunged forwards so that he was well inside her defense. _'It has a huge range but if you leave yourself wide open you can't defend at all!'_

"Kyaa!" Akatsuki said in surprise as Ichigo came under her guard and she was forced to use sonido to instantly put distance between the two of them. Ichigo was right behind her but he landed several feet short of her which gave Akatsuki enough room to start spinning her scythe around defensively and forced him to dodge and put distance between them again. "Don't scare me like that!" she shouted at him accusingly before leaping towards him. _'Is it my imagination or was my Sonido faster then his normal Shunpo? No way!'_

"Haha I never said I was going to go easy on you just because its training!" Ichigo said happily as she came down at him with her scythe. This time he blocked it by the blade which stopped him taking any damage. He wasn't having as much fun as he made out but he needed her to stay serious so that Urahara could get as much useful information as possible about her. After all, the training session was a way of examining her in more then just combat.

"Stop making fun of me!" Akatsuki came at him with an almost manic disregard for defending herself and Ichigo quickly realized that even though the weapon had poor defensive, if the user could keep on the offensive it was hard to counter attack as well. He noticed that nearly all of her attacks were either formed from rotations of the scythe or by spinning her own body and dragging the scythe through the air with it. The spinning motions increased the power of her attacks, making up for her lack of physical strength while at the same time forcing Ichigo to dodge or block with few easy to exploit opens. At least not without his Bankai speed.

Ichigo managed to stay ahead of each attack and blocked them as they came but he could feel small nicks and cuts being sliced him at random intervals as the reach of the blade made it past his defenses. He knew that if things carried like this he would start to weaken as all of the little injuries added up. He wondered if Urahara was satisfied with this and decided it was time to beat her back.

"Whoa! She's like a berserker! I cant even tell which way she's attacking from with all of those random swings!" Jinta nearly shouted as he eagerly watched the now intense training session in awe. Having heard the commotion from up above and hoping to find something far more interesting then shopkeeping he and Ururu, albeit not as willing as himself had sneaked down to watch the duel.

"Hmmm," Urahara hummed to himself as he watched. In the back of his mind he was planning how to let Tessai punish the two of them but at the moment he was more interested in the training fight. It was clear that Akatsuki was taking this serious which was good. If she hadn't then this might not prove to be half as enlightening. "No, its not that."

"Actually her swings are very precise. Its the complete opposite of a berserker," Tessai commented as he watched the fight with growing interest. He was curious as to how she was nullifying the weight of such a heavy weapon. At first he had thought maybe the scythe was deceptively light but had soon realized that it was as heavy as it looked as she had started to assault Ichigo. Each blow showed on Ichigo's face and he could tell that his arms were starting to hurt from the force. He wondered if it was related to her ceiling walking trick and made a mental note to ask her later.

"So you can see the directions that she's going to attack in before she does it?" Jinta asked harshly.

"No," Tessai replied with a hint of annoyance at the question.

"What he means is that each and every swing is carefully planned and executed. All of her attacks are part of a spinning motion, either of her body or of the weapon and sometimes both." Urahara watched as Ichigo pushed her back again with his far superior strength. Before she had even stopped moving she was running back towards Ichigo, the scythe trailing behind her. Sparks of red were sent flying as the two weapons continuously exchanged blows.

Urahara watched as Akatsuki used sonido to put distance between the two of them the moment Ichigo was forced to dodge one of her swings. Before she had even fully come back into view she came charging back towards Ichigo, her body very low to the ground as she trailed the weapon behind her. He was saw he had seen that kind of run before. For a reason he wasn't sure of he knew that that run was used by Scythe users.

Akatsuki could feel her spiritual strength draining away at an alarming rate and her vision was starting to blur just like before. In her chest her heartbeat was becoming erratic and her legs were one step away from stumbling. _'Why am I doing this!? This is why I hate fighting! What a bunch of idiots!'_

Ichigo could see by the look on her face that she getting sick of this training and guessed that she was going to try and end it with one more attack. One way or another. However, long before she was close to attack even with her long weapon Akatsuki slammed her feet into the ground, spinning her body in a full circle her and sliced sideways towards Ichigo. Half way through the motion the scythe broke free from her grip and came hurtling towards Ichigo in a furious spin. "Ahhhh!" Ichigo exclaimed as the large and heavy weapon came rapidly spinning towards him.

"She slipped?" Jinta mockingly shouted in excitement.

"No," Urahara replied simply with a look of concentration on his face. Her fighting style was completely alien to him and he couldn't guess her next move exactly. But he was certain of one thing, she had let go purpose. He wondered if Ichigo had realized that she still running towards him with body low to the ground, hiding behind the spinning scythe.

_'Its too dangerous to try and dodge it! I'll just have to stop it!'_ Ichigo thought to himself and gritted his teeth as he watched the scythe rushing towards him. Ichigo braced himself and smashed his sword down towards the scythe as it came into range of his sword. The scythe was sent smashing sent down to the floor with a loud crunch and Ichigo was knocked slightly backwards and off balance by the force of the scythe. As he was knocked backwards he saw that Akatsuki was almost upon him and he started moving downwards to stop her grabbing the scythe.

Akatsuki lunged forwards towards Ichigo, ignoring the scythe, with her hand open. Ichigo swung his sword arm towards her face but she ducked underneath it.

Ichigo punched down towards her again and Akatsuki span her body to the side to dodge it. Akatsuki seemed to hesitate and Ichigo reached out towards her to push her away from him.

Akatsuki knew she was going to faint from exhaustion at any moment. In her eyes the world seemed to slow as she watched Ichigo recover from his second missed attack and lunging towards her head with his open hand. Just as he was about to reach her her body became reactive again and she subtly moved her head to the side to allow Ichigo's arm to shoot past her. She lunged forwards towards his side and reached towards his face with her hand and grabbed it between her fingers and using her momentum slammed his head backwards into the ground.

Ichigo's vision went white for a second as the back of his head hit the ground. His vision cleared in time to see Akatsuki kneeling over top of him breathing heavily with her almost lifeless eyes ringed by red light. Her hair, never vibrant yellow to begin with was fading towards brown. She looked almost out of it and he went to push her off of him but found that his body wouldn't move or respond to him at all. _'Just like that time by the water when I first heard her song!' _he thought to himself critically as he tried to force himself to move. But there was something wrong he realized as he looked up into her eyes, it was almost as if she wasn't looking at him at all but something several feet behind his head..

_'Come on Ichigo! Let me deal with her trick, I'll show you how to do it!'_ Ichigo heard his inner self crooning arrogantly into his ear but he shook his head to ignore it, even though he had felt his arm shaking in resistance to its voice. "Akatsuki!"

Akatsuki could feel Ichigo underneath her body, his unresisting form held in place by her eyes. But her vision was fading in and out and everything sounded dulled and muffled. She was vaguely aware of Ichigo saying something to her but the sound was lost to the distortion in her head. Everything seemed to be so very far away.

Akatsuki smiled weakly towards Ichigo and he watched with relief as that awful light left her eyes and almost instantly the numbness left his body. Her eyes closed lightly and she fell down onto his body as she lost consciousness, Ichigo catching her careful as he sat upright so that she was left resting against him, her breathing quickly slowly down to normal.

"I guess thats her limit then," Urahara said with interest as he walked over towards them.

* * *

"Why am I here?" Otono wondered to herself just loud enough for Yami to hear but Yami was paying her little attention and it was starting to grate. She wondered if Yami was ever going to escort her back to a place she knew well. The thought of Gin tapping his foot and waiting for her made her shiver in a cold dread. "I thought you said we were going to your room anyway, this clearly isn't your room!"

"I live here, that makes it my room," Yami replied patiently in an uninterested expression. Actually it was a room that wasn't really used by anybody for anything so Yami had taken it for her own use. It had been a place were Akatsuki would come to unwind, despite Yami showing little to no interest in her complaints or stories.

"Why did you bring me here anyway?"

"I thought I told you, I didn't bring you here. You followed me here of your own accord. All I did was save your eavesdropping life," Yami replied sarcastically. "You really don't owe me anything so you can leave whenever you want."

"I know that!" Otono replied in a flustered voice. She already would have if it wasn't for a feeling that the very area itself was trying to consume her. It had such an oppressive feeling. The room was far from empty but at the same time it felt un lived in, perfectly clean and orderly. Yami had seemed to forget her existence and she knew now who Akatsuki had gotten that annoying trait off. "Grimmjow-sama lets you stay here? I'm kind of surprised. I thought all of the Espada hated Akatsuki."

"Why would the Espada have a reason to be jealous of Akatsuki?" Yami replied lazily as she rested her back against the wall and let herself side down it until she was sat against it.

"I-I-I'm not jealous of her! Why would I be jealous of a reject like her!" Otono snapped back accusingly and turned to leave the room, however before she was able to leave she felt a strange sensation and felt compelled to turn around. It was the kind of feeling that she felt in the heat of battle, as if the Grim reaper itself was standing beside her with its hand on her shoulder. She slowly turned her head around, not to eager to make any sudden moves. Yami was still there, looking back at her with an all too suspiciously innocent smile. Otono wasn't exactly relived by this but at least Yami was where she could see her.

"You look happier then you should," Otono said without thinking, the words just seemed to demand saying, as if she needed to point out the obvious. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing at all," Yami replied in an uninterested tone and shrugged her shoulders. She turned her on its side and wondered what she should do about Otono. It had been easier then she had thought to get Otono to follow her here and now she wasn't exactly sure what to do with her. If she left Otono alive then there was no doubt that she would be sent after Akatsuki again but as it stood now it was clear that Otono was no match for annoyingly perceptive red eyed personality. Even Yami knew that she couldn't win against 'that' one. Besides, others could always be sent after her.

"She wasn't always broken you know. She was made that way. At least, thats the last thing she said to me before she, before she ran away," Yami frowned at Otono as she spoke, Otono's expression was harder to read then she had thought it would be. She smiled to herself as she realized she didn't give Otono enough credit.

"Why are you telling me this?" Otono replied testily and turned away again. She remembered what she had heard Aizen and the other two talking about and realized that Yami would of heard all of that as well, however Yami's failure to react or even bring up the subject till now told her that she had either heard it all before or just wasn't surprised to hear it. "What do you really want from me? You were thinking of attacking me a moment ago, I could feel it all over you even without looking at you but now you don't feel dangerous at all. I have no idea what they were talking about and even if I did it wouldn't change what I have to do!"

"I wonder," Yami replied quietly and leaned her head up against the wall and closed her eyes. She listened to Otono's footsteps as she marched with determination out of the room and turned right. "The other way," Yami replied sarcastically.

* * *

Ichigo hissed to himself as he rubbed his shoulder gently. Even back inside his living body the cuts from Akatsuki's scythe could still be felt stinging. Tessai had fixed him up admirably but the medicine did little to alleviate the pain but it wasn't so bad that he wanted to sound ungrateful. Akatsuki's head lay resting against his side where he had propped her upright on Urahara's order, her long hair made her head feel like a pillow. Ichigo wondered how anyone who fainted from fatigue was able to look so calm and peaceful. "I thought you made her that evil looking medicine for situations like this?"

Urahara looked across at Ichigo happily and grinned as he shook his head from side to side. "Its of no use once she's unconscious, it can only be used while she still has control over herself. I have no idea what would happen if it was used on her while was asleep!" As he spoke Ichigo frowned at him and Urahara could guess what he was thinking and felt the need to defend himself before anyone had a chance to openly criticize him. "Its not like I had any way of testing it beforehand!"

"How reckless," Ishida said quietly to himself but making sure he was loud enough for Urahara to hear.

"Not as much as you were the other day Ishida-san, though it seems you received a gift for your troubles."

Ishida nonplussed for a moment then remembered the doll that he had been given and reached down into the bag which he used to carry around his needle craft tools and materials. From its depths he produced the doll and placed it cautiously on the table. It was strange he thought to himself but for some reason the doll was starting to make him nervous about being around it by himself, despite its creators attempt to make it look friendly. "Obviously this person was not here to take Akatsuki back with her, if I had to guess I would say that she was a friend of Akatsuki's."

"Yeah, it felt like she was testing us," Ichigo added after Ishida had finished speaking. Akatsuki moved her head and snuggled deeper into his chest, which made him feel slightly uncomfortable. He dreaded her reaction if she woke up now. Ichigo waited patiently as Urahara stared at the doll in puzzlement and for a moment he was sure he saw an inkling of understanding in Urahara's eyes. "What is it?"

Urahara reached out to the doll and picked it up carefully and examined it again now that it was closer. He turned it around in his hands curiously and smiled to himself. The doll felt nostalgic somehow, as if he'd seen it somewhere before, a very long time ago. Holding in so that the doll was face to face with him it almost felt as if the doll was trying to talk to him. "Nostalgic," he said quietly under his breath so that no one else heard. For some reason this doll made him angry and he didn't know why. "Akatsuki made this," he finally said out loud.

"How can you tell?" Ichigo asked curiously as Urahara passed the doll over towards him. He carefully took hold of it and turned it around in his hands but from it to be of little interest.

"I guessed as much as well," Ishida said to Urahara and nodded slightly in his direction. "To think we have something in common, my opinion of her has increased significantly. Though by no means exemplary, it was made with feeling and determination."

Ichigo guessed that Ishida was referring to the doll in terms of his own interests and wanted to sigh at how easily Akatsuki had managed to raise her status in Ishida's eyes. "Like I said, how can you tell. Well, other then the way its like her that is."

"I guessed that you couldn't tell, even with it in your hands, you really are useless at detecting other beings reiatsu," Ishida replied sarcastically though not unkindly. Ichigo's own vast spiritual power left his senses more dulled then they should be and so it couldn't be helped.

"Thats not it all," Urahara said as he raised his hand to silence Ishida's explanation. "That doll Ichigo, is a very strange doll indeed, but not in your eyes am I right?"

"I told you I don't sense anything at all about this doll!" Ichigo answered testily. He wasn't sure why but not feeling anything strange about this doll was starting to make him feel angry.

"The doll is resonating with Akatsuki-san," Tessai pointed out stoically.

"Ohhhh, thats Tessai for you! He can tell even without holding it!" Urahara replied over enthusiastically. Sensing Ichigo's glare upon him he quickly turned back towards Ichigo and raised his finger before explaining. "The doll is infused with small amounts of Akatsuki's own reiatsu, thats what the rest of us could feel from this doll. Put simply the only person who could do that would be Akatsuki-san herself." He turned to face Ishida and grinned. "I'm guessing it felt weaker yesterday yes?"

"Not so much but it has become easier to detect with her proximity to it. Why do you think she made it like this?" Ishida said quietly, suddenly acutely are that Akatsuki was asleep in the room.

"I have no idea why, it would be better just to ask her when you give her the doll. This doll is something that obviously means a lot to Akatsuki-san and you should give it back to her sooner rather then latter. But that also means that the person who gave you this is a person very close to Akatsuki's heart, next time I think she will talk to you Ichigo-san," Urahara stated seriously.

"Huh? Why me?"

"Oh, no reason I guess, just a feeling."

"I still cant feel anything from thus doll even after I know what I'm looking for! Damn that pisses me off for some reason," Ichigo said to himself and smiled.

Urahara looked at Ichigo it deep thought for a moment and then let his gaze wander to Akatsuki who was still unconscious against him. Urahara hadn't noticed it before but now he was able to make the connection. Akatsuki had been acting differently around Ichigo, it was subtle, so much so that even he had only now just realized it himself, she was more relaxed around him then she had been before. Something had bridged one of the invisible gaps between them since the last time he had seen them together. "Did something happen between the two of you the other day?" Urahara asked casually and grinned as Ichigo flinched at the question.

"Nothing at all!" Ichigo was quick to point out and realized that he only sounded like he was denying something.

"I was wondering that as well, I'm guessing it was probably when that Arrancar girl was sat above your room," Ishida stated as Ichigo glared between him and Urahara.

Ichigo wasn't sure what to do about the way this was going, if he didn't say anything and denied it completely it was just going to make him look even more suspicious. He knew that Akatsuki had told Urahara, and by extension Tessai about her ability shortly after he had found out but he was fairly sure she would have deliberately forgotten to mention the [part about using her skill on him.

"Hmmmmm, where am I?" Akatsuki mumbled quietly to herself and rubbed hers tiredly. She was leaning against something warm and she slowly turned her head lazily to look at whatever it was she was leaning against. For a moment she didn't recognize who it was, then she felt her face turn red and lashed out without warning.

"Well, you see the thing is that, Gah! What was that for!?" Ichigo nearly shouted as a suddenly awake Akatsuki had slammed her elbow with surprising force into his ribs.

Akatsuki looked up at Ichigo with indignation before she realized that Ishida, Urahara and to a lesser extent Tessai were staring at her sudden violent outburst. She let her head drop and slowly assumed a polite sitting position out of touching range of Ichigo. "Sorry."

"What? What did you say?" Ichigo said in mild surprise. It was rare to hear here say something like that and it took him a little aback.

Akatsuki looked around curiously as she remembered why she was here and what had happened just before she had fainted. She was also vaguely aware of what Ichigo had been about to say and guessed thats why she had attacked without thinking. She sighed heavily to herself before she remembered that everyone was looking at her and now they all looked even more curious. "Hmmmmm."

"Ichigo was just telling us how close you two have become," Urahara said airily and smiled as Ichigo looked at him pleadingly. Ichigo then looked to his side to find Akatsuki with her eyes closed and an evilly innocent smile on her face which made him look back at Urahara again.

"Was he? Thats very open of him!" Akatsuki replied happily and laughed childishly as she looked up at Ichigo. It might have been Ichigo';s imagination but her face seemed to darken and her smile looked undeniably evil. "What did he they you?"

"Nothing at all," Urahara said clearly disappointed. "You woke up at such an inconvenient time!"

"I'm so very sorry!" Akatsuki snapped back at Urahara.

"So what did it feel like to join your mind with hers Ichigo-san?" Urahara asked casually as he grinned at Akatsuki. At first she failed to react for a few seconds but then as suddenly as she woke up she leaped to her feet and slammed her foot down on the table and pointed at him accusingly. It might have been a little intimidating if she hadn't of been blushing. Behind her Ichigo seemed to slowly, without actually moving his body, move away from her.

"I-I-Idiot! Don't make it sound so intimate! There was nothing intimate about it!" Akatsuki shouted down at the smiling face of Urahara. As Urahara looked up at her he was sure that some of her was starting to look like red devil horns. "Who would want to do anything like that with Ichigo anyway!?"

Ichigo sighed and looked down at the table. She was right that there had been nothing intimate about the situation at the time but to hear her plead his worthlessness so enthusiastically was still depressingly. "Who would?" Ichigo said quietly to himself in mock depression.

Akatsuki, still with one foot slammed down on the table and pointing at Urahara heard him mumbled and looked down across at him. "Gah! Wait! Thats not what I meant!" she almost shouted in panic.

* * *

"That was cruel of you," Yoruichi said grimly as she climbed onto the table in front of Urahara and stared accusingly into his amused eyes. Trying to make him feel guilty was an almost impossible task and not worth the effort it took and so she gave up and sat facing the same direction as him. Urahara was staring intently out of the open doorway to his shop and had barely moved his head to acknowledge her presence.

"When did you start listening in?" Urahara asked without paying her much attention. He knew he was being rude to Yoruichi but there was something that he couldn't get off his mind and it was consuming his thoughts. The only problem was he wasn't sure what he was trying to remember and that was surprisingly annoying for him.

"I didn't. I saw poor Ichigo being chased helplessly by her. She seemed rather embarrassed and angry about something and was swinging a rather large black tube at him. I wouldn't want to be Ichigo right now. On second thoughts I don't want to now what you said."

"Does Akatsuki-san remind you of anyone?" Urahara asked as he rested his chin on his hand in thought.

"Whats with such a random question?" Yoruichi replied curiously in her gruff voice.

"I'm not sure, here, take a look at this," Urahara said without taking the time to look at her as he reached inside his coat and pulled out the doll that Akatsuki had made of herself. He placed by Yoruichi who looked at it critically and then back at Urahara.

"I'm not sure what your getting at Kisuke," Yoruichi replied. She looked at the doll again and this time noticed the faint but firm pulse if energy flowing through the doll. "A spirit Doll? Its been a long time since I've seen one of these I'll admit but I'm still not sure what your getting at Kisuke."

"Doesn't it feel nostalgic you?"

"Not at all, sorry," Yoruichi said apologetically and shrugged as best as a cat can. Then another thought occurred to her and she looked at Urahara critically which was not lost of him this time and he grinned innocently back at her. "Why do you have this? Doesn't this belong to Akatsuki-chan?"

"Hah hah a minor detail. I promise I'll give to her next time I see her. But you see, this doll has given me an idea about Akatsuki's condition," Urahara said with a burst of enthusiasm.


	22. The place between Souls

_Twilight Puppeteer: Hello everybody, good to see you all as per usual, this chapter is slightly shorter then what she has become used to writing but that is because she intends to write a rather long chapter next time. Besides, she wrote most of the next chapter like 3 months ago so she really has no excuse for taking too long next time._

_Twilight Marionette: Was that all really, well, necessary?_

_Twilight Puppeteer: Sorry, what did you say? You need to speak up._

_Twilight Marionette: I mean, even the insult?_

_Twilight Puppeteer: You need to stop mumbling or I can't hear what your saying._

_Twilight Marionette: Silence! I'm in charge here! I'm the one who gets to make big speeches!_

_Twilight Puppeteer: Yes yes, then what did you want to say?_

_Twilight Marionette: Ummm what you said is fine._

_Twilight Puppeteer: Your mumbling again._

_**Chapter 22: The place between souls**_

_The moon was beautiful. It sat low in the night sky, its full brightness illuminating the gentle, still waters below. Akatsuki looked around for a moment and was unsure where she was, or for that matter, how she had come to be here at all. She looked around but it was darker then it should have been with such a large, full moon hanging across the sky. Across the face of the moon the odd wisp of cloud moved by in no particular hurry, as dark as the world around it yet strangely transparent as well._

_All around her she could make out the silhouettes of things, trees and the occasional bunch of tall grass. Spread out in front of her was a large body of water, on either side of which she could clearly see the black shapes of low hills. Far from lighting the world the moon only served to deepen the darkness._

_The water itself however was almost a mirror to the star filled sky, the gentle rippling of the water doing very little to blur the reflection of the heavens above. This was another one of those places that felt nostalgic even though Akatsuki was sure she had never there._

"_Dream? Or perhaps a memory? Its kinda embarrassing that I have no idea where I am right now!" Akatsuki said quietly but harshly to herself as she brushed her hand over her face to move some hair from in front of her eyes. A cold, though not unpleasant wind stroked her skin and made her hair dance behind her. It would have been a beautiful sight if not for a dreadful sense of foreboding._

_Gingerly Akatsuki started to slowly walk over towards the water, the sound of gently lapping waves almost muted by the sound of the trees and grasses rustling. The wind picked up a little the closer she got but it was still too weak to be called anything but a breeze. Once by the shore she carefully looked down into its surface, half expecting something to raise and grab her, the other half knowing that all there was would be a reflection._

"_Gah!"_

_Akatsuki recoiled from the edge and stumbled backwards onto the soft earth. Of course there had been a reflection, its just wasn't hers. The girl who haunted her dreams so often had stared back at her through blood red eyes, full of judgment though not malicious. _

_Expecting the apparition to slowly crawl from the water she pulled herself unsteadily to her feet. After a minute of nothing more then the sounds of the water and the tree's Akatsuki slowly edged her way back towards the waters edge. To her relief her own reflection stared back at her. So did Ichigo's inner Hollow. "Huh?"_

"_Heh." Hollow Ichigo's reflection grinned back at her from the waters surface. The water rippled and distorted his image from view, the reflection returning to her own as the ripples started to calm._

_Akatsuki hadn't reacted fast enough, her right arm was jammed painfully up behind her back before she could even blink in recognition. Her left hand held firmly down by her side. Being taller then she was she found herself being pulled up tightly against his body as he easily restrained her. Akatsuki felt his breath of the side of her neck._

_Hollow Ichigo swung her around playfully without lightening his grip in the slightest until he stopped with his back against the full moon and the waters surface. His yellow eyes looked down her as she tried in vain to not look back at him. He remembered how Hakumei had looked silhouetted against the moonlight that time as well. "Like two lovers dancing in the moonlight," he said sadistically as he noticed that she gave up struggling._

"_How did you get in here? What have you done?" Akatsuki asked softly, trying her best to mask her embarrassment and anger and knowing that she was failing. Though she wasn't entirely certain this was a dream, she knew it was no memory of hers. That meant that this place was something else._

_Hollow Ichigo had no idea either, it had been a simple matter of one moment being in Ichigo and then he was here. Being a creature of intellect but also of instinct he didn't spend much time with that kind of question. He was here now and so was she, the girl that Ichigo was becoming attached too and the one who had stopped him before. And since they were both here he saw no reason not to have some fun with her. "Wherever we are its just the two of us! This time I can have some fun with you!" he said almost manically and laughed._

_Akatsuki frowned for a moment but then let her face returned to its usual soft and kind gaze. 'Are we alone here? If only that was true I wouldn't feel so sick,' the thought crossed her mind and calmed her ever so slightly. She sighed lightly and closed her eyes as she shook her head. "Yeah," she said softly to no one in particular._

_The subtle change in her attitude was not lost on Hollow Ichigo. In one swift motion he released her left arm and using her right arm spun her body out away from him and then pulled her back towards him so that she was facing him head on. He pulled her up against his body again but this time she almost looked as if was ready to join in. He was mildly surprised to find that she made no effort to pull free either. "Nothing to say before I have some fun with you girl!? Wheres the other one? I owe that one a beat down!" It gave him a thrill thinking about Akatsuki's yellow haired, red eyed counterpart. He wondered what kind of fight he could get out of her._

_Akatsuki was a little worried but was careful not to let it show. Though she wasn't exactly sure what was going on she was now fairly sure she was still inside her own mind. If Ichigo's inner Hollow had yet to realize that then there was very little he could actually do to her. In theory. It was the theory part that had Akatsuki a little worried. His presence, though weakened felt the same as the night she had pulled the mask from Ichigo's face, it felt like he was trying to crush her with his very existence. "So your the other Ichigo, his inner Hollow?"_

_She turned her head up to face him as she spoke in a soft tone of voice, looking at him with not unkind golden hued eyes. They seemed to glow with life in the moonlight to Hollow Ichigo. For a moment he felt very calm, it was something about the way she was looking at him, the same way she looked at Ichigo when she thought he wasn't looking back. His mind quickly turned to anger and he grinned down at her, his yellow eyes focusing hard into her golden eyes. She was suddenly so very annoying._

_Akatsuki felt his aggression flare and was quick enough to land gracefully on her feet as he pushed her away from him for great force, her feet skidding a short distance on the soft mud. He laughed at her manically and grinned as he looked at her. He was about to lunge at her and it would have worked, it really would have if not for the large blade of a black scythe cutting through his body. _

* * *

_Akatsuki opened her eyes again, fighting a growing urge to be sick. All was black and she was aware that she was floating, suspended by a force that made her feel weightless. It was the same feeling she had when walking upside downside down. Somewhere in the vast darkness she heard the sound of water drip onto water. It was the kind of noise you only heard with perfect silence on perfectly still water. Her mind was at ease again though as this was a place she knew well enough. Once her nausea wore off she spoke out to the darkness, certain that she was not alone. "Hakumei, what was that place? Where was I? It felt so unnatural and how the hell did that thing get in there with me!?"_

"_Are you surprised?" Hakumei said sternly though not totally unkindly behind Akatsuki._

"_Ummm, what are you talking about?" Akatsuki replied in genuine confusion as she turned to face Hakumei. Hakumei seemed to be considering her for an uncomfortable amount of time before she visibly relaxed and shook her head at Akatsuki._

"_This your fault you know, you can't blame me. I had no part in this little performance, well, other then cutting the ending sort that is."_

"_I'm not blaming you for anything yet! I can't if I don't know what I'm blaming you for!" Akatsuki replied irritably and folded her arms defiantly at Hakumei. Hakumei considered her again and sighed without saying anything. "Stop doing that!"_

"_You made a forceful connection with Kurosaki Ichigo's mind. Did you really think there wouldn't be consequence's? Ichigo's mind isn't his own alone to join with," Hakumei replied evenly, making sure to sound as neutral as possible._

"_Ah, yeah, that's right, I did, didn't I."_

"_So that's Ichigo's inner self is it? Quite the charmer isn't he. Confident though, I'll give him that," Hakumei said happily and smiled roguishly at Akatsuki who was staring at her in disbelief. "It can't be helped, you know that. He is a part of this just as much as Ichigo is. The two of them can't be so easily separated."_

"_But he's not like you."_

"_I wonder about that," Hakumei said cheerfully and shrugged as she floated around Akatsuki and held onto her back with her arms wrapped tightly around Akatsuki's chest. "As for that interesting place I guess we will find out together won't we! At least its got atmosphere!"_

"_That's not helpful!"_

"_Oh dear oh dear, since when did I ever say that I was here to be helpful? Its my place to always be with you and protect you from the world, I never once said I was here to be helpful. And now I think its time for you to wake up."_

* * *

The light hurt Akatsuki's eyes as they slowly and with great resistance opened, the bright mid day sun breaking through the leafs of the over hanging trees. She watched lazily as the concrete floor passed by below her with a series of bobbing motions. Rather then react, which would have taken more energy then she could currently muster, she twiddled her hair between her fingers and sucked the end. She remembered Ichigo pushing his way into her room and trying in vain to wake her up, she remembered refusing and falling asleep as he lugged her over his shoulder and carried her off. She was in spirit form, that at least was obvious but the world was always a little confusing after waking up when you weren't completely certain you had been asleep to start with.

"Where are we going?" Akatsuki managed, her head felt as though it was full of cotton wool. She was vaguely aware that Ichigo had not wrapped her large white scarf around her bone mask and felt uneasy because of it. "Am I dressed?" Akatsuki stifled a yawn as she spoke.

"Urahara wants to see you at his shop, he said he has something important to tell you, something about your ongoing treatment," Ichigo replied casually as he walked unseen through the streets in no real hurry. In fact Urahara had said a lot more then that but that was enough for Akatsuki to be going on with for now.

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah?

"Put me down!"

"No."

"Please," Akatsuki tried to sound as pathetic as possible.

"Will you run off?" Ichigo grinned as he heard her mumble something under her breath in response. "I'll take that as a yes shall I?"

"Idiot," Akatsuki mumbled as she watched the world go by. Ichigo was being far too cheerful for her to cope with at the moment, especially after what she had just experienced.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Hitsugaya repeated again in disbelief. He had heard the words but they still made little sense.

"I know your not deaf so stop repeating yourself," Mayuri sighed irritably as he spoke. Very few of the captains were intelligent enough for him to feel like they were worth explaining things to. Toushiro Hitsugaya happened to be one of them but even he had an annoying habit of questioning rather then listening. "The Arrancar walked straight in through the Senkai gate with the aid of a Hell butterfly."

"That's impossible!" Hitsugaya knew it was far from impossible, in fact it made a lot of sense to think of it like that. What didn't make sense was how an Arrancar could make use of Soul Societies own defenses to just walk in undetected. "What about the guards at the gate?"

Mayuri ignored the question as obvious and unneeded. Whatever had happened to guards they didn't remember and so there was no point dwelling on it. He reached forward and punched in a series of fast commands to the the various consoles in front of him. Various devices came to life and images appeared on various screens spread around him in a half circle all the way to the ceiling. The images were nearly all badly damaged and degraded and it had taken him a long time to put even these back into this state.

"This is her?" Hitsugaya said cautiously as his eyes scanned across the multitudes of images. It became obvious that most of the screens showed the same picture but taken from different angles and with different effects placed upon the image in each. Most of them looked blurred, even the cleanest image on the center screen was grained and partially unfocused. "Who did this?"

"Someone with enough knowledge to use my systems but not enough to completely erase every thing from the system entirely. Nemu!" Nemu stepped forward from the shadows in the corner of the room where she had been waiting for orders for over two hours without saying a word.

"Yes Mayuri-sama?" Nemu said in her calm and soft voice. Her Captain had been livid, completely furious when he found the missing data at last. Mayuri had spent a long time raving at her about it before he had calmed down and set to work at retrieving the data. It had been a curious thing to watch as he sat working for days at a time restoring the data with the kind of determination that only people with an insane kind of mind could achieve. Though far from perfect the data had proved useful enough to have been worth the effort.

"Tell him what else we uncovered!"

"Yes Mayuri-sama. More then just the surveillance data is missing from the archives. After the incident we started a full sweep of our systems to determine if any data had been accessed or removed but we found no breaches of the system. We came to the conclusion that this meant the data had been removed by someone with valid system access."

"A traitor? Why has Yamamoto not been informed of this yet?" Hitsugaya found his eyes locked onto the distorted and faded image of the intruder. She was slender and dressed all in black like any other Shinigami, her long red hair tied in two large twin tails which hung over the back of her head like water falls. No one would have looked at her twice looking like that, she looked harmless, in fact she looked like she was trying to look harmless. It was subtle but it was there. He realized that Mayuri was glancing up at him with a satisfied grin that told him he was right.

"No one would have suspected in the slightest. No mask fragments that could be seen, a plain Zanpakuto and standard Shinigami attire. This girl wasn't trying to evade us, she just walked straight in and became one of many!" Mayuri said with a voice pitched high with glee. "The readings show that her reiatsu was hidden almost completely and her signature didn't register in the system as Arrancar or Hollow. Once in and past the guards she just acted like any other Shinigami!"

"The data wasn't altered by an internal source either was it?"

"Correct!"

"So how?"

"We have yet to determine the method however-" Nemu started to say but was cut off as Mayuri snapped his fingers irritably to silence her.

"We know who it wasn't," Mayuri said triumphantly.

"Who it wasn't?" Hitsugaya received a look from Mayuri which told him that the statement should be obvious if he took the time to think about it._ 'I see.'_ He looked back up the screen and at the girls distorted face. It wasn't clear enough to be used for identification but it was clear that she looked perfectly normal. "There's data missing from the personnel archives?"

"Exactly! But unfortunately they had been clever enough to erase all references to that file." Mayuri sat back with a burning feeling in his chest. He enjoyed moments like this, when someone had actually managed to out think him. It was in a strange way thrilling. Of course it was only a temporary state of affairs, he would win in the end he had no doubt but for now it was fully intriguing. Almost enough to make up for the burning anger he had felt when he realized his data had been altered. "Whoever was erased from the database no longer exists here."

"Its impossible to find out who it was if all references had been erased at the same time," Hitsugaya said more to himself then to Mayuri or Nemu. He was sure that there was something missing here but it eluded him. "Maybe someone remembers," he said absently to himself and Mayuri turned to look up at him again. Mayuri was smiling at him again in that way which made him feel like he was being praised for performing a trick. It was annoying but he refused to react.

"You can't make people remember someone they forgot if we can't even show them a picture or give them a name. Its impossible! However..."

"Not all records are kept on your system," Hitsugaya said as his mind raced. "The library. You cant delete written words from a distance, you would have to destroy the very book itself."

"And every other book that would be related to that book or scroll." Mayuri got up and walked over to one of his many on going experiments. The contents of the glass case moved interestingly as he tapped the glass. He was making it clear that the conversation was over and was pleased that Hitugaya was quick to take the hint. He heard the footsteps stop just outside of the door.

"Send a report about this to General Yamamoto. I'm going to look for a book."

"Yes yes," Mayuri said irritably as he listened to the sound of Hitsugaya's footstep disappearing into the various corridors of the research division. A grin momentarily spread over his face but was quickly replaced by a scowl when he realized that Nemu was stood looking at his, curious but at a respectful distance. "What is it?"

"Why did you tell Captain Hitsugaya before you sent the report to General Yamamoto?" She asked with a perfectly neutral tone of voice. She did have faith in her Captain, even if he didn't deserve it sometimes.

"Heh! Did I? I don't remember doing that," Mayuri said in a guarded tone as he glared at her. Sometimes he suspected she was being subtly insubordinate but he was never completely sure. But she asked the right kind of questions even when it was completely out of order to ask them and that was one of the reasons he was proud of his creation. She was no fool. Until he knew who and how the data had been erased he wanted to stay one step ahead of everyone else. He was certain that the boy Captain Hitsugaya understood that too.

"I see, understood, it was my mistake," Nemu said demurely.

* * *

"Resurrection form?" Ichigo looked at Urahara, not quite understanding what he was getting at. Out of nowhere he had said just two words and was now sat with a confident grin of his face. Urahara hadn't been looking at either Akatsuki or him but Ichigo felt the tension building just to his left. Daring his eyes to glance sideways he could just see Akatsuki sat looking down at her knees, her arms shaking as she tightly gripped her Hakama. She seemed angry.

"Oh? Did I say something wrong?" Urahara beamed as he goaded Akatsuki deliberately. He already knew that she couldn't, it was logical considering the state of her soul. The force exerted by Resurrection form would rip her fragile soul to pieces if she could even use it at all.

"Not a thing!" Akatsuki growled behind clenched teeth._ 'Damn him! Why would he say something __like that! As if he doesn't know I cant! What is he up to!?'_

"Hmmmm," Urahara hummed happily as he stared at Akatsuki. She was trying her best to avoid his gaze and was looking to the side at the wall. She was hiding it well, that nervous laugh that he could barely see under the shadow of her over hanging hair, too quiet to hear yet filling the air none the less.

"What about it!" Akatsuki replied too enthusiastically. "I m-m-mean, what do you want to know."

Urahara stared back at her longer then he intended before replying, his voice smooth with charm. "Have you ever tried to use it?"

"Gah!" Akatsuki reeled back without actually moving her body, though in terms of how obvious it was she might as well have leaped backwards across the room. She grabbed some strands of her hair and started twiddling it between her fingers erratically but with determination. On her back she could feel Hakumei's amusement radiating out from the sword. "W-w-what are you talking about? You've seen me-"

"That wasn't resurrection form," Urahara cut her off before she could finish.

Akatsuki went red in the face but failed to reply, any argument from her now would make her look childish and the situation was already embarrassing enough as it was. Urahara had said he was trying to find a way to strengthen her soul but it just seemed like he was trying to goad her into something. Even though she knew he was trying to help she couldn't help but be stubborn. It didn't help that she was still on edge from earlier. It was hard to look at Ichigo right now without also seeing that other person there as well.

"You think if we can help her attain resurrection form that her soul will heal itself? Last time we tried to heal that she reacted badly to Orihime's power," Ichigo was still lost as far as the conversation was going. Akatsuki was ignoring him as much as possible without being deliberately rude. Instead she was focusing on Urahara without actually looking at him directly.

Urahara waved his hand up and down and grinned earnestly at Ichigo. "No no no, that's the worst thing we could do! It would tear Hollow girl to pieces!" Urahara was acutely aware that he had said that far too enthusiastically and that Akatsuki was glaring at him. "That is to say, her body couldn't handle the shock. At the risk of Hollow girl jumping me she's just far too weak at the moment. And even if I thought she could, I would have no idea how to even start training her. We just don't know enough."

Akatsuki sighed heavily and allowed her body and head to slump down across the table. "I'm so useless."

Ichigo wasn't quiet sure what to do and decided at the very least a pat on the back would be allowed but before his hand made it halfway to her back he thought better of it. Akatsuki was being quite irritable today and he didn't want to lose any fingers so early in the day.

"But not for long! I have come up with a way to restore your mind, body and soul!" Urahara announced cheerfully. Ichigo looked at him in mild disbelief and Akatsuki just lay there moaning to herself. It was kind of depressing to get such a weak reaction so he carried on regardless. "Because of this!" He produced the doll of Akatsuki from the inner folds of his Kimono and held it out towards Akatsuki who slowly lifted her head up just enough so that she could see through her overhanging hair. At first she didn't react but Akatsuki's mind quickly came to terms with what he was holding.

"Yami-chan?" she said slowly to herself as she looked at the doll in disbelief. Her heart began to beat madly and blood rushed to her face. "Yami-chan gave you my doll Ichigo?!" she sat bolt upright and grabbed Ichigo's hands so that she could bring his face closer to hers.

_'Yami-chan came, she really did! I knew she would! Probably. But if she had given that Doll to Ichigo then she must have...'_ her own thoughts trailed off as a few possibilities presented themselves. If Yami had given that Doll to Ichigo it meant that she trusted him to protect her and no one else. _'But Yami-chan only trusts people that I trust, but how would she know that I trust Ichigo so much. Unless she saw...' _her thoughts trailed off again as she realized Yami must have been listening in when she confessed to Ichigo about her powers.

Ichigo's face went slightly pink with her face so close to his own. She was looking into his eyes with an almost aggressive interest, at least at first, but now she was starting to look embarrassed as she glanced down at his hands which were still being held tightly by her own. "So her names Yami huh?" he started to say but he was pushed back slightly as Akatsuki mind and body seemed to reach an understanding of a situation going on entirely in her head.

"Its all a misunderstanding!" Akatsuki nervously said to Ichigo far too aggressively, daring him to disagree. Her head was spinning with different thoughts and they all came to one conclusion. Yami had seen her talking to Ichigo and had misunderstood the situation. In the back of her mind Hakumei was having a good laugh at Akatsuki's expense. "But its entirely a lie, is it?" Hakumei purred which made Akatsuki go rigid. She knew she making a fool out of herself and she needed to focus on something else.

"Well that's what I was going to tell you! She attacked me and Ishida the other day when we were on patrol," Ichigo thought it best to leave out the part about following Akatsuki, Rukia and Orihime.

"This doll is," Akatsuki started to say but the words became lost in thought. It was nice knowing that even just one person back home still believed in her. "Very important to me." She wanted to argue with Urahara about keeping the doll hidden from her but right now it wasn't as important as it would seem later on. Right now she was caught in the moment. Akatsuki reached out and picked up the doll softly and brought it towards her body.

* * *

She remembered it well, time itself couldn't erase these memories.

_She stood on the balcony which hung out over the immense height of the walls of Las Noches, the wind whipped her hair to and fro. If she had turned around Aizen would have seen that she had been crying but she was careful not to let him see that. She was also careful to hide the bruising on her wrists._

_She was aware that Aizen was sat watching her intently from behind, his kind but intense eyes admiring her as she sang for him. He had not said a thing to her today other then to ask her to sing for him. She was not a singer, at least not a professional one but Aizen had always insisted that she sung for him, he said her voice always calmed him and helped him think._

_Akatsuki was only too happy to hear that. It made her heart beat faster and her face turn red. Aizen asked so little of her even though he himself had done so much for her. Without him she would still be wandering the wastelands of Hueco Mundo with barely a thought in her head._

_She didn't remember much of the time before she met Aizen but she did remember the kind look on his face when she opened her eyes, her mind swimming with pain and confusion, his hand reaching down to her to help her up._

_As she sang the wind danced around her, making her hair dance like a flame. The wind helped to dry the tears as they rolled down her cheeks. She knew that he knew she was crying, he probably also knew about the bruises on her wrists and ribs but neither of them mentioned it to the other. Akatsuki didn't want him to punish the ones who had hurt her this time, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if that were to happen, so both of them pretended nothing was wrong. She didn't hate the ones who hated her, she felt sorry for them and this song was as much for them as it was for Aizen._

_She brought her hands up to her heart and held them there as the last of the words floated from her mouth. She let out a big sigh and wiped her wind dried cheeks. Akatsuki smiled happily as she looked out over the desert. She heard the sound of clapping behind her and she brushed her fingers through her hair. This kind of feeling was why she loved singing._

"_Beautiful as always Akatsuki," Aizen remarked warmly._

"_It is my job after all, I'm here to sing for you," Akatsuki replied happily and closed her eyes. The warm feeling spread through her body. Her acute senses found something out of place behind her, another person was in the room with him who had not been here when she had arrived. It was not one of his Espada either, she knew how each of their Reiatsu's felt far too well._

"_Akatsuki, there's someone I want you to meet, this is Yami. From now on she will be your partner," Aizen said from behind her. She could tell from the way he spoke that he was smiling confidently._

"_Yami-san," Akatsuki said in mild bewilderment and turned around._

* * *

"Urahara!" Akatsuki snapped towards Kisuke.

"Yes?" Taken aback by her sudden change in attitude he found himself sitting back slightly.

"Do whatever it takes to make me stronger! I need to get stronger. Without power of my own I'll never get back what was taken from me! I'm not going to sit back and hide in the shadows any longer, I'm going to get up on stage and sing my heart out! The only person taking the lead role will be me!" She looked to her side at Ichigo who was smiling at her confidently and towards Urahara who was slightly taken aback still by her sudden change in attitude. She smiled to each of them in turn and then looked back down at the doll, her face full of confidence. "Urahara! Ichigo! I'm counting on you!"

Ichigo grinned back at her and shot her a thumbs up. "Count on it!" She looked so much better now in his eyes, she was almost glowing. However almost as soon as her enthusiasm had welled up inside her it faded, her body seemed go limp as she slumped down back to where she had been with her head resting on its side on the table. Akatsuki sighed heavily.

"Heeeeh! Its no good! I'm going to die!" Akatsuki whined and laughed nervously to herself as Ichigo looked at her irritably for breaking the atmosphere. Urahara couldn't resist the urge to laugh and walked over behind Ichigo and Akatsuki so that he could squat behind them. Both Akatsuki and Ichigo went slightly tense as he rested a hand on each of their shoulders.

"I'm glad that's all settled with, for a moment there I thought I going to have to, well, never mind, its all going well. First step completed Tessai!" Urahara called to Tessai who responded with affirmative grunt from the hallway. Ichigo noticed something large and evil looking being lugged down the hallway by Tessai but was suddenly not brave enough to ask about it.

"First step, first step to what?" Ichigo was feeling suddenly very uneasy. It felt as if his body had reached an unpleasant conclusion before his mind had caught up.

"The first step in making you two soul mates!"

Akatsuki didn't react in the way that either Urahara or Ichigo had expected and just laughed depressingly to herself. "So that's what you meant huh?" No one else could hear it but Hakumei was laughing haughtily to herself.

Urahara waved his hands in front of himself and laughed cautiously. "What I really mean is that I need you two to strengthen your spiritual bond."

"The bond between us? You mean like friendship?" Ichigo looked down at the lazy form of Akatsuki and wondered how well he really knew her. .

"That isn't what he means," Akatsuki mumbled to herself without turning her face to look at either of them. She laughed to herself too quietly for anyone but her Zanpakuto to hear.

"Huh?"

"Hollow girl is right Ichigo-san, I'm not, strictly speaking, talking about friendship, I'm talking about something that runs deeper. The beginnings of such a bond already exists between the two of you. Linking your souls together was no empty gesture on Akatsuki's part. I don't think she could of ever pulled you back if she didn't want to save you." Urahara made sure to speak as plainly and as seriously as possible.

Ichigo didn't reply at first, there was simply nothing he could think of to say after Urahara had said it like that. "What exactly are you planning Urahara?"

Urahara looked down from Ichigo towards Akatsuki and then stared intently at the table top for far longer then suspense demanded. A dark grin spread over his face as he looked up. "I'm going to turn her into a proper Arrancar!"

* * *

Ulquiorra half slid and half jumped down the giant sand dune, one of many he had climbed in the last hour. His hands never left his slides for balance on even these uncertain surfaces, the sliding sand of the dune providing only the most minor of nuisances to his progress. As he reached the bottom he instantly resumed his languid pace which he had set himself over the last few days. He knew that haste would only lower his chance of finding that which Aizen had sent him to recover.

Ulquiorra walked up another dune, this one far less daunting then most of the dunes that he had so far encountered. All around him he could hear the wind blowing lazily at the sands of Hueco Mundo but down in between the dunes he felt barely a movement in the air. He wondered what force had created dunes so large that they cut out so much of the eternal night sky from view. As he approached the top of the dune he reached out with his senses like he had done so many times already today but all he could feel was a absence of any other reiatsu. Which was unusual.

Even in the barren waste lands of Hueco Mundo it was almost always possible to sense other spiritual presences. But right now he realized that all he could sense was his own reiatsu which he had subtly masked to make it easier on himself. He looked around himself as he crested the dune to confirm his own suspicions. Spread out before him was a series of sharp and jagged rocks sticking of the ground like blades cutting up from under the ground. He could see no pattern to the rock formations, their size and shape though generally similar were in no way uniform, there was no pattern he could see.

Ulquiorra used sonido to bring himself next to the nearest formation of protruding rocks and placed his hand carefully upon its surface and closed his eyes as he concentrated. It was faint, so very faint but he could feel it.

"I've found it."


	23. Prelude to memory

_Twilight Marionette: I''ll do it, I'm really going to do it, you can't stop me!_

_Twilight Puppeteer: Are you sure? I really don't think its such a good idea!_

_Twilight Marionette: Yes! What's the worst that can go wrong!? Gah!_

_Twilight Puppeteer: …_

_Twilight Marionette: …_

_Twilight Puppeteer: -cough- As usual thank you to everyone who reads._

_Twilight Marionette: It hurts._

_**Chapter 23: Prelude to memory**_

The scythe slammed into the ground blade first, its weight driving the blade deep into the barren soil. After a few moments the weapon steamed and with a distressing sound of scraping metal the scythe reverted to a blade long bladed Katana. Akatsuki reached out to the weapons hilt and wrapped her fingers around the hilt but lacked the energy to free the weapon and she sagged back to her knees by its side, panting for breath. She looked up through tired eyes to see Ichigo staring at her with Zangetsu resting easily on his shoulders with a look of concern on his face.

"You OK? We should stop for now, its not safe to keep going like this. You've already used Urahara's medicine three times so far, I doubt its doing you any good to keep pushing yourself like this," Ichigo said as he walked over to were Akatsuki sat slumped and offered her his hand which she took after a few moments of hesitation. For a moment gravity seemed to be winning in the fight to keep her on the ground but she gritted her teeth despite her legs shaking underneath her.

"Ahhhh its no good," Akatsuki complained weakly as Ichigo helped her walk over to a large rock where she sat down again and rested her head against the hard, warm surface. She looked up at the unchanging sky as Ichigo walked back over to where her weapon had been left embedded in the ground and wondered why Urahara wanted such a plain training area. Would a night sky option have really been so bad? It made it so hard to keep track of time down here. It made her feel uneasy.

Ichigo reached down and wrapped his fingers tightly around Hakumei's hilt and wrenched it free from the ground. Since they had started training down here in Urahara's training grounds he had held Hakumei's several times and each time he always ended up with a paranoid feeling feeling that someone was floating behind him and left him wondering if her Zanpakuto could use the same basic powers as her master. "Damn it! Why do you have to be so heavy! Your heavier than Zangetsu!"

"She's not heavier then Zangetsu, I should know. She just doesn't like you very much that's all," Akatsuki called over without looking down from the sky. She really wanted to get out of this place. She hated to admit it but she really did prefer dark skies to ones that were always so light and blue, years of looking up at the sky of Hueco Mundo did that to a person. It might not be beautiful or even nice but it was familiar and after all it was, well, home. Even now. "Just hit her against a rock or something!"

"_I heard that!_" Hakumei's voice resounded clearly in Akatsuki's mind and she grinned maliciously. Ichigo felt slightly uncomfortable since he was hearing it as well since a few days ago and he wondered if this was the connection that Urahara had been talking about, a mental connection left behind between the two of them. The pressure behind his eyes had returned. He could feel his inner self subtle trying to push him. It was getting hard to keep his thoughts his own lately and was worried that his eyes might turn again without warning like they had with Rukia.

"Is this normal? I mean to hear the voice of your Zanpakuto inside my head as well. I could understand it while holding your weapon but it even happens when she's just close to me now. Is that what Urahara was talking about by making a strong link between the two of us?"

"Th th there's nothing like that between us!" Akatsuki stuttered despite trying to remain calm and cool and turned her face in fear that it had started to turn red. It wouldn't have mattered since Ichigo wasn't really paying her too much attention was swinging her weapon around experimentally. She mumbled to herself as she realized that Ichigo wasn't even paying attention and clicked her fingers together, traces of red electrical like energy flew between her fingers as she did.

Red electricity shocked Ichigo's fingers and he fumbled the weapon as he nearly dropped it onto the floor. He shook his fingers to shake out the numbness and stared at Hakumei accusing. The pressure in his head was also pushed back.

"Heh heh heh," Akatsuki laughed quietly to herself as she hid her mouth behind the sleeve of her kimono and turned her head to the side.

"Akatsuki!"

"Yes!" she waved lazily at him to acknowledge him.

"I want to talk more about your abilities if that's OK with you. I want you to show me. Show me so I can understand." Ichigo turned the blade over and over in his hand but no matter what angle he looked into the metal from there was always something strange about the way the light reflected from its surface. The longer he held it the more apparent it became.

Akatsuki had her doubts about his motivation and looked away from him irritably as he walked towards her, watching him warily over the top of her sleeves. "Request denied!"

"_What do you want to know?"_ Hakumei said roguishly as Ichigo gave her a few more experimental test cuts.

Akatsuki looked affronted and scrambled to her feet and snatched Hakumei from Ichigo before she could say anything else, though really if Hakumei wanted to talk she really had no way to shut her up. "Be quiet!"

"_But you want to tell him don't you?"_

"Hakumei!" Akatsuki pleaded and realized that Ichigo was staring at her. "Well, that is, if you really want to know I suppose I could talk about it a little. Just a little though, don't expect me to tell you everything!"

"_But she wants to,"_ Hakumei purred conspiratorially.

"Sh shut up!" Akatsuki pleaded again.

* * *

Ulquiorra looked up at the ancient shard of rock and considered it critically for a moment longer before walking over towards another shard embedded in the ground a few dozen metres away and placed his hand on this one as well. It had the same kind of feeling as the one he touched a moment ago. It was smooth and cold but it was an unnatural cold, as if the rock was trying to pull the very heat out of his body.

He looked around and counted hundred of more shards sticking out of the ground with no apparent pattern to the naked eye. They were all composed of the same material and all had roughly the same shape, a sort of sharp and jagged shape, like glass from a broken mirror. It was just as smooth and cold as well. Though the longer he looked at them the more apparent their similarities became, he wondered if he looked at them for a long enough time he could start to piece them back together.

The word rock was the wrong word to describe the shards and settled for stone. To his accurate eye and keen mind it was obvious, no rocks became so smooth and polished from just the wind alone. Once these shards had all been part of some giant structure and now they lay broken and shattered, each one like a giant tombstone marking the site where something grand had once stood.

Ulquiorra had been walking amongst the shards for over an hour and knew that he had travelled many miles, even stopping to examine the shards his pace had been relentless. He had wondered at first how such a large field of giant shards of stone and rock could go unnoticed, even in such a a vast landscape that was Hueco Mundo. But such thoughts only proved to be distracting him from his search and he pushed them aside for now, he could ponder the reason later. He simply assumed that something here made it hard to see from the rest of Hueco Mundo, a place that could only be seen by people inside whatever barrier shielded it from the eyes of others.

"Even the shadows of what once were still bear the weight of their meaning, its long dead voice still moves the world," he said to himself and stopped dead in the middle of a large open area more free from shards then where he had just walked from.

It was his voice and he knew that he was alone here. In the last couple of hours he had been alone here, no other souls had come close enough to detect if there were even any at all. It was fairly certain it wasn't his imagination either since he chose not to have one that could imagine things that weren't real at all and that meant that he really had heard that voice. It had been his and he had said those words using his own mouth. But the words were not his and had no understanding of their meaning.

In fact, it hadn't been spoken in a language he knew either. But he had understood, as if the words transferred their own understanding in just being spoken. Or whatever had spoken them through him had allowed him to understand their meaning.

Ulquiorra looked around with wary eyes as he scanned the area for movement and sound but found nothing but the rolling sound of the wind of the sound and the only movement was that of his own clothes in that wind. Had the shards spoken to him? He dismissed that thought as pointless speculation and carried on towards his goal, the centre of these ruins. The shards started to resonate.

The further in Ulquiorra went the lighter the sky seemed to become. Though it was a dull light, unlike moon or star light which left the word bathed in sharp and clear light, this was unnatural and weak. It was more like the darkness was trying to shine. The rocks seemed to react to his footsteps and he watched them as he passed, painfully aware that he alone and wondered what kind of power could actually inspire doubt in his own actions. He wondered if the place itself was trying to repel him. The shards resonated silently still but he was sure he could feel it through the souls of his feet.

He considered touching one of these shards, smaller and shaper then the ones at the start of the ruins but thought better of it. Something deep inside him which he was loath to acknowledge as something so primitive as instinct was screaming at him to leave and to leave quickly. As much as he denied its existence he was not foolish enough to ignore that feeling deep in his chest. He ignored the shards and kept on walking until in the distance he could make out the shape of something that resembled a large circular ruin raised high into the air.

As he approached he realized just how high in went and once again pondered how all of this could have remained secret for so long and realized that he would rather not find out why until he had confirmed his objective and left this place of silent voices and whispers. He began to climbs the shattered and broken steps up towards the sky and with each step he could feel his soul being pulled and tugged at by unseen hands. Though they were starting to feel more like claws. His body started to ache and he was finding it harder and harder to focus, his grip of time had already escaped his grasp but he pushed on by his own, far stronger and clear sense of purpose.

The sky seemed to be getting brighter with each step he took towards the top of the stairs, or was it just a deeper, more intense kind of darkness, he wasn't sure. He reached the top after hours, or maybe even just minutes of climbing and was impressed at the sight.

"Target confirmed, I will report this to Aizen-sama at once," he said as he turned and started to walk back towards the steps that would take him out of this place and only wondered after he was a good distance away from those ancient ruins and field of walls and shards who he had been talking to the second time.

* * *

"Ahhhhhh so nice!" Akatsuki purred as she drank the ice cold water from the bottle. She had starting to feel trapped in that training area and the open area of the park was a wonderful improvement, the cool breeze and the warm sunlight was washing over her and she felt instantly energized. Though not enough that she was willing to walk under her own power.

Ichigo sighed as they reached a shaded area under the thick branches of a old and heavily leafed tree. He had been getting looks of both admiration and curiosity as he had walked through town carrying Akatsuki on his shoulders like some parent with his child. He hadn't been hard since Akatsuki was always so unnaturally light even in her gigai. Without a word Akatsuki gracefully jumped off of him and walked over the shade of the tree where she rested her back against the trunk and sank down it until she was sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees. He watched as she seemed to forget about him and play with her hair.

Ichigo looked around and smiled. He enjoyed this kind of sight, people going on with their lives, happy in the knowledge that everything was right with their own little worlds. He sat down next to Akatsuki and looked up at the light dancing between the leafs. "What does it feel like?"

"What does what feel like?"

"Entering someone else's inner world, what does it feel like, I can't even imagine something like that."

Akatsuki, without turning to face him, concentrated on him. She could still feel what it was like to be close to Ichigo's inner Hollow and she wondered for a moment whether or not Ichigo had known about it and decided not to say. He was far too honest to hide that kind of thing from her. Still, in hindsight it had not exactly been a bad experience, she hadn't really been scared of it no matter how much it wanted to hurt her. It shared more then just Ichigo's face. She had felt it, deep inside, that he was just as much a part of Ichigo as Ichigo was a part of him. "Only if I can ask you a question as well. And you have to answer honestly! I'll know if you don't!"

"Heh, sure, whatever, fairs fair. So what is it like?"

"Its," Akatsuki started to say and hesitated. She wasn't exactly sure how to describe it to someone who had never experienced it themselves. She didn't feel as if she knew the rights words at all. "Its feels like you become someone else. In one moment your heart and soul are perfectly in tune with each other and nothing else matters. Its like I'm being drawn into the other persons body but at the same time they are being drawn into mine. Like floating just under the surface looking up at the sun as the warm water embraces you."

Ichigo turned to face her for a moment and shook his head and smiled. "That made no sense at all," he said cheerfully and laughed as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Its hard to describe!"

"Heh. So what did you want to ask about?" Akatsuki hesitated and looked down at knees before looking away from him at the floor to her side.

"Do you hate him?" Akatsuki asked in a melancholy tone and heard a sharp intake of breath from Ichigo.

Ichigo was taken aback at the question since he had expected something far more light weight or random but this was a serious question, one he had been expecting her to ask eventually but at the same time had hoped she would have not. Ever since she had had pulled the mask from his face any doubt she would have had as to what he was would have been wiped away and yet she had kept it to herself. In fact she had avoided it on purpose and he guessed that it was her way of helping him deal with it.

"That's not an easy question to answer. He's always there in the back of my mind, trying to break free, even now I can feel him looking for a way out. He doesn't care about anyone and wants nothing more then to fight and hurt people! But without him and Zangetsu I would have been killed so many times and he knows it and always makes certain to remind me of it. Without his power I could never have saved Rukia or Orihime. I don't hate him but I'm scared, not of him but what he will do if he ever takes control again. A Hollow with so much power completely under his control."

"I see." Akatsuki sighed quietly as she watched the breeze blow at the blades of grass.

"Did something happen the other day? I'm not so slow to not notice that you had been avoiding me, did something happen?"

Akatsuki was surprised by the silent force behind his voice and found herself turning to face him again. He was trying to look nonchalant but he was too honest with his emotions, the concern was written all over his face. She sighed heavily and playfully punched him on the shoulder.

"What was that for!"

Akatsuki grinned and winked at him and held a finger up at him. "Your not alone you know! You have so many people who care about you and rely on you. Orihime-chan, Quincy-san, Chad, Urahara , your sisters and father. You need to trust them to help you as well. Your never alone when you hurt this way so believe in them." Ichigo stared at her intensely and she felt her chest begin to heat up and she really wished he'd say something or at least look away. A confident smile appeared on his face which quickly turned to a grin.

"And you as well," Ichigo said with overflowing confidence.

Akatsuki turned slightly red and quickly pulled away from him and faced away. "Of c c course you idiot! Because were friends too right!" said in a panic stricken voice.

"Heh, of course we are."

* * *

"_That bitch did it to me again! Next time I'm going to make her pay threefold!" Hollow Ichigo snarled to the world in general. "Next time she tries to interfere I won't hesitate to show her who's in charge of this world!" His complaints were met by a wall of silence. The kind of silence that you get when someone is not interested in replying rather then being alone. It annoyed Hollow Ichigo even more to be ignored but he respected Zangetsu to a certain extent and resisted the urge to take it out on him. Besides, it would be like arguing with himself since he and Zangetsu existed in an unstable balance of power._

"_Interesting," Zangetsu said in response after nearly a minute of silence. He had been paying attention to Ichigo's inner self only enough to know what he was ranting about but not enough to care. He was more concerned about the sky. Zangetsu hated the rain more then anything in the world and watched the sky with growing interest. "The rain can't fall."_

"_What?" Hollow Ichigo asked in mild annoyance that the only person in this world he got to talk to was more interested in the sky then him. It made a Hollow wonder if there was something weird about old man Zangetsu. Even that bitch with the scythe would make for a better conversation. "You mean the rain isn't falling?"_

"_That girl, Akatsuki, she stops the rain from falling even though Ichigo's mind and soul are in confusion and doubt."_

_Hollow Ichigo couldn't resist and looked up at the sky in the same direction that Zangetsu had been staring, perching on his sword like some kind of bird of prey. The sky was grey and cloud ridden, arcs of lightning and thunder darted from one cloud to the next but Zangetsu was right, the rain didn't fall. Now that he thought about he hadn't noticed that the rain had stopped either and that bothered him, he had been thinking far too much about that annoying, weak female Hollow._

"_Hey old man!" Hollow Ichigo said as he walked over towards him and stopped a few metres away. The way Zangetsu was acting made him a little uneasy. "You know its only a matter of time before this world is mine right. Ichigo will fail soon enough and there's nothing you can do to stop it." Again Zangetsu seemed to not hear him at first but this time he turned to face him his usual stoic expression. "What?"_

"_That girl scares you, she has power over you," Zangetsu said simple and plainly but with all the force of a earthquake._

_Hollow Ichigo reeled aggressively and grabbed Zangetsu by the collar of his coat and jerked his face towards his own. "What the hell are you talking about old man!? I'm not scared of that pathetic excuse for a Hollow! I could crush her as soon as look at her! Why would I fear someone like that!?"_

_Zangetsu showed no emotion to the reply and stared into Hollow Ichigo's eyes in a way which actually managed to get to Hollow Ichigo enough to make him back down slightly, his anger spent and subsiding. "Because she made you do something you've never done before."_

"_And what the hell was that old man?"_

"_You hesitated."_

* * *

Hitsugaya wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for but he knew that he would know when he found it. A book or a parchment, some record with a picture or a name that didn't exist in Mayuri's database any more. It was no short order to find one book among millions but the answer to important questions lay buried deep in the archives and he was determined to find them. It was just a question of how. The vast library spread out before him.. "Will you stop complaining and help me look Matsumoto!" he heard himself say while concentrating on his own thoughts.

"Ahhhh but we have no idea what were looking for! How are we supposed to find it in all of these books? There's just too many!" Matsumoto complained loudly as she threw some books carelessly over her shoulder to the general annoyance of her Captain.

"Its not as bad as it looks, besides, its not as if your looking for it by yourself," Jushiro Ukitake said kindly as he caught one of the books thrown carelessly backwards by Matsumoto in one hand and flicked through it casually.

"That's right, we might not be much help but we'll try as well, right Nanao?" Shunsui Kyoraku carried on languidly as he riffled through a bookshelf by himself, trying to avoid the look on the face of his lieutenant as much as possible. It had been a good idea to bring Nanao along, she was very good with records and documents he told himself, it had nothing to do with her refusing to go alone in case he tried to slack off. Where she would get that idea from he honestly had no idea.

"It would help if you were looking at the right kind of books, sir," Nanao said under her breath and glared at her Captain who shivered dramatically in response. He casually, without a trace of guilt, slipped the book back and looked through a more likely candidate.

"I have a good feeling from this book," Shunsui said as he turned the book on its side and let some pages unfold out into a poster shape.

"Yes, of course, I'm sure you do," Nanao replied venomously. She turned away from her Captain in disbelief and turned to Hitsugaya and Ukitake who were at least taking the search seriously. Though even she had to admit that it was a very tall order, to find a book with information that had been erased from the Research Divisions records without at least knowing the subject. All Mayuri had provided them with had been a time period, which he suspected by a process of elimination the information was related to. It helped but that still narrowed in down to many thousands of different texts and scrolls. Assuming that his time frame was even right to start with. "It would be nice to know the subject but I guess we will have to make do with what we have, it could be far worse I suppose."

"That's the spirit Nanao-chan!" Shunsui grinned at her as he spoke and she shot him a warning glance to which he visibly wilted..

"A 3 year time span," Ukitake said to himself in thought before coughing for attention. "Did any incidents occur during that time. "A hundred or so years ago."

Ukitake and Shunsui remained quiet as the words passed Ukitake's lips. Though they knew that Hitsugaya had heard of what had happened at that time he had never actually been there to experience it. A lot of people had gone missing at that time, not just normal souls but Shinigami as well. It was an awful affair. "I suppose the time frame is close enough," Shunsui said almost soothingly to everyone in the room.

Unaffected by either personnel involvement or emotion about what had happened just over a hundred years ago Hitsugaya nodded his head solemnly as he continued to search through long forgotten books with a determination rarely matched by others. "Its most likely connected to what happened 100 years ago but there is also a chance that it has no relation to those events at all. For what reason would an Arrancar risk infiltrating the Seireitei just to destroy minor records while leaving the main files of the "Vizard Incident" intact. Besides I doubt that Aizen would risk something like this unless there was something significant to gain."

"You don't think Aizen is behind this then?" Ukitake replied quietly. He suspected something similar but there was no way to prove otherwise and so had remained quiet to Yamamoto. Right now it had been best to ire on the side of caution.

"What would he gain? We have no idea why that Arrancar came here in the first place so we can't even guess at their intentions." Hitsugaya looked up at the numerous books still ready to looked through and wondered if he was going about this in the wrong way. Looking through all of these books was close to wasting time. In theory they could read what they came here for and not even realize that they had found it and just put in back. _'The Arrancar remained undetected until after they had started to try and escape from the Seireitei, so what changed for them to be revealed. No one seems to know exactly how or when they were discovered. Its more likely then that by that time the Arrancar had simply stopped hiding their presence.'_

"Nanao? You studied the reports correct? How did the first discovery of the Arrancar occur?" Hitsugaya asked with a serious expression.

Nanao stopped and fiddled with her glasses as she thought for a moment before she reached inside her Kimono and pulled out a large leather bound note book from the inner folds. She looked through her notes methodically before turning to a completely new page and reading some more notes before slamming the book closed. She was vaguely aware that her Captain flinched as she did.

"Three guards all report feeling a burst of reiatsu at the same time and when they headed off in that direction they found what they first believed to be a Shinigami feeling at high speed. However the reiatsu they felt was clearly that of a Hollow and so they raised the alarm."

"What are you thinking?" Ukitake asked curiously as he turned to face Hitsugaya along with everyone else in the crowed aisle.

"That something happened, something which caused the intruder to lose their calm and reveal their own position. All everyone remembers is feeling her reiatsu and then heading off in pursuit as the Arrancar fled towards her escape route. No one can actually claim to be the one who uncovered her."

"You think that she wasn't fleeing from the guards at all? That she was just running away from something and the fact that we were following her was just a coincidence?" Shunsui said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully as the idea worked its way around his mind. "Something which scared her more then being discovered?"

"She was upset," Matsumoto said more to herself to to the others. She had a strange feeling and looked around curiously.

"I think she was here, I think this is where that burst of reiatsu originated from. I think she found something here and that's when the burst of reiatsu occurred as she lost herself." Hitsugaya watched Matsumoto as she looked at the various footprints trailed into the dust of the barely visited section of the archives.

Matsumoto saw what she was looking for and motioned for her Captain and the others to follow her. Leading the way through a serious of twists and turns through the various rows of books they came to a stop in an aisle which was less well travelled then any other they had seen so far. Only a few sets of footprints lead in here and rather disturbingly far less seemed to leave. It was dark and stuffy with a distinct feel that the books here had long been forgotten and neglected over the last hundred years. "Its so lonely here."

"What is this section?" Shunsui asked as he tried to follow the footprints with his eyes and walked over to a shelf where the books looked out of place.

"Personnel archives," Nanao said after looking through her notebook.

"Do you know everything in that book of yours Nanao-chan?"

"Not enough to make you work."

"Heh heh, sorry I asked," Shunsui said and a kind smile on his face.

"I think we've found it," Captain Ukitake motioned to a large book which had been left half open in the middle of the floor where someone must have dropped it in a panic. He reached down and picked up it up carefully, fearful that the book may have been damaged by age or intention but found it to be only slight scuffled from its fall to the floor. He carefully turned the page over as curious faces craned over his shoulders to see what he had found.

"It looks like a personnel list," he added helpfully as he scanned his eyes over the names and pictures of several Shinigami. Besides the names was a short profile and the name of one of the thirteen Court Guard Squads along with the rank upon which that Shinigami had entered the division. "To be more specific it looks like a roster for the placement of new Shinigami to the various squads here. A list of names, pictures, a short profile and the rank upon which they were to enter the squads they had been assigned to."

"I see a few familiar names in that list but plenty more that I don't," Shunsui said as he leaned on the still crouched Ukitake's shoulder to get a better look at the pictures. A few face he could place but the rest he had either never met before or simply did not have time to know well enough too remember. "Hmmmm there's some cute looking girls here, maybe I should have been more involved with the new members. Yes, I see now that I don't take an active enough role."

"But does this really help us? I mean its fine and all to find the book just sitting here but how can we even be sure that this was the page the girl had been looking at. Seriously, we need more then that to work with. The book could of fallen open of any page Captain!" Matsumoto pointed out as if no one else looking at the book had already reached the same conclusion. Ukitake passed the book up to Matsumoto as he pushed himself uneasily to his feet.

"That may be true but at least its something," Ukitake pointed out kindly as he stood up and dusted himself off, careful not to inhale too much of the dust that seemed gather here. His hand felt strange, the Arrancar had left a very faint trace of their spirit energy in the book but it didn't feel right. Something about it felt odd, out of place. He wondered he she was ill or something of the like.

"That's right, its more then we knew a few minutes ago," Shunsui added helpfully and smiled at Matsumoto. Without saying a word the whole time Hitsugaya took the book from his lieutenants hands and concentrated on the page in front of him. He carefully placed a book marker into the book and closed it carefully, sliding it into the folds of his Kimono.

"Captain?" Matsumoto said curious at her Captains solemn and stern expression that he always got when he had just worked something out.

"No, this is the right book and this was the page she had been looking at. She had been crying when she dropped it," Toushiro said simply and left with his lieutenant bobbing along behind him to keep up.

"My my, doesn't the young Captain notice the strangest of things. Now that I think about it he's right but I didn't see it before," Shunsui said as he watched Captain Hitsugaya and Matsumoto walking back along the aisles before turning a corner out of sight.

"But it worries me," Ukitake said absently as his old friend looked at him curiously from under his wide brimmed hat.

"What does?"

"Oh, nothing, its nothing really, its just that a lot of regrettable things happened back then. Many tragedies. It makes you wonder, knowing what we know now, how many more things Aizen had done that were never discovered. How many more futures did he steal."

"Ah, I think we need a drink."

* * *

"Heeeeh, how did it turn out like this?" Akatsuki moaned as she trailed along behind Ichigo.

"You promised remember? You cant back out now," Ichigo replied jovially as they walked along the road away from Urahara's shop. The training had left the two of them tired but Ichigo still had plenty of energy left to burn, which is more then could be said for Akatsuki. She was trailing behind him with a less then enthusiastic pace. "Show me."

"Request denied," Akatsuki mumbled.

"You cant," Ichigo replied happily.

"Ahhhh you have no idea what your asking for! Its not as simple as you think Shinigami! You cant just ask me to resonate with you like that, my powers aren't stable at the best of times, do you really want me to go rooting around inside your head?" Akatsuki pleaded half heartedly. With Hakumei's help it was actually very safe as long as her partner in the link was willing but she didn't feel like mentioning that. It made it sound like she didn't know how to use her own powers. "Its a bad idea!"

"You promised," Ichigo repeated again with the same jovial tone.

"Haaah!" Akatsuki punched Ichigo in the back to little effect. Ichigo stopped and turned to look down at her and she waggled her finger at him and grinned evilly "A gentleman should respect a ladies wishes!"

"A deal is a deal," Ichigo said cheerfully as they crossed the road and was aware of a low grumbling sound coming from behind him. He understood what it felt like to have a power that scared you so much that you dared only use when all other choices had evaporated in the heat of the situation. It wasn't that he wanted to have Hollow powers, it was that he had needed them. "What's the worst that can happen anyway, I mean, its just a link between our souls right, what can really go wrong?"

"I could accidentally shatter our minds like a piece of glass," Akatsuki replied nonchalantly and shrugged.

Ichigo stopped and turned hurriedly towards her with a slightly concerned expression. "Your joking right, there's no way something like that would actually happen right?"

"Who knows, I might be."

"What!? You might be serious or you might be joking?"

"Ah well there's no getting out of it now, I did promise after all and what would I be if I couldn't keep such a harmless promise right?" Akatsuki kind kindly and closed her eyes as she spoke, her voice far more mature then Ichigo was used to hearing. But the hint of danger in the voice wasn't lost on him either. It was the kind of voice that said._ 'You asked for it, so no complaining now.'_

"Well, if its really that dangerous maybe we shouldn't," Ichigo started to say but was cut off as Akatsuki shoved her hand towards his mouth to silence him and she sighed heavily. She then snapped him a thumbs up and grinned at him confidently.

"I'm sure it will be fine!"

"But," Ichigo tried to interject with a nervousness to his voice.

"Lets go!" Akatsuki shouted enthusiastically and punched the air, lifting herself off the ground and she bounded off ahead of Ichigo, her long red hair trailing behind her.

Ichigo watched in wonderment as she had gone from depressed and argumentative to enthusiastic and cheerful in the blink of an eye. Another thought occurred to Ichigo and he narrowed his eyes and formed a fist. "Wait a damn minute! Oi! You better not be planning to mess up! OI!" Ichigo shouted angrily at Akatsuki's back and ran after her.

The sun was just approaching the horizon as they reached the front door to Ichigo's house but Akatsuki's initial enthusiasm had not made it as far and she had run out of energy half way back and had demanded that Ichigo carry her the rest of the way. Ichigo had refused to much argument and moaning and had almost dragged her the rest of the way.

Ichigo reached out to the door handle when a sixth sense alerted him and he quickly sidestepped as he pulled the door open. Half a second later his senses were proved right.

"Ichigo!" Isshin yelled happily as he leapt through the door towards where his son ought to have been and instead found himself rapidly and helplessly aimed at Akatsuki who stared at him in wide eyed shock. Being too tired to dodge in time Isshin landed against her chest heavily and went flying backwards along with him.

Karin and Yuzu followed him with far less velocity and stood in the open doorway to welcome Ichigo back. Isshin had been riled up that Ichigo had been spending a lot of time out with Akatsuki and suspected that his son, as he put it, was putting the moves on her. Though they had had serious doubts about his logic they were curious despite themselves. Even if only to satisfy their father.

"Oh hey Ichigo, have fun?" Karin said with complete disinterest as she stared down at the combined wreckage of Isshin and Akatsuki. Neither of them seemed to be fully concious which was a saving grace, at least for Isshin who was spread out on top of her prone form. Karin was more interested in the immediate future of her father then Ichigo's arrival home. Life expectancy was a funny thing, sometimes it seemed non existent.

"Big brother! You need to tell us where your going so we don't have to worry about you!" Yuzu added reproachfully.

"Its not like I'm doing anything dangerous," Ichigo replied tetchily and added "Yet," as he remembered Akatsuki's sudden evil glee at the idea of showing him her power again.

"Urgh, Ichigo where have you been!? What have you been doing to my precious daughter!?" Isshin shouted as he tried to push himself up from where he had been laying.

"Since when was she your daughter!?" Ichigo snapped back and then his eyes glanced down and he unconsciously backed away slightly as Akatsuki stirred.

Isshin clenched his fists in defiance at his son and grinned confidently. "Its all a matter of opinion Ichigo."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Of course it does!" Isshin snapped back and squeezed unconsciously with his other hand again.

Akatsuki's eyes shot open, red as blood. "Get your hands off of me you pervert!"

"No, wait no, its not what it looks like!" Isshin pleaded but Akatsuki wasn't listening and lunged at him. Ichigo and his sisters might have helped but it felt inevitable and they just walked off back inside without a word to the background noise of snapping.

"Karin! Yuzu! Ichigo!" Isshin screamed as he was pulled back down to the floor.

* * *

"So er how does this work exactly?" Ichigo asked as Akatsuki looked straight ahead towards him, to say she was staring at him wouldn't be right as she was looking at a point several feet behind his head like a animal caught in the headlights of a car. She had been almost enthusiastic before and now she seemed frozen.

Akatsuki shook herself back to attention and sighed before looking away from him with an annoyed expression. "How do you want to do it?" she mumbled through her teeth without looking back at him.

"How should I know!? Its your power!" Ichigo snapped.

"Its kind of intimate you know! I cant just leap into it!" Akatsuki snapped back at him.

"Huh? What? Intimate? I don't remember it being intimate," Ichigo stuttered and inwardly cursed himself. Of course he didn't remember, he had been asleep and fighting his inner Hollow at the time. His inner Hollow. "Wait! I don't think this is such a good idea, I don't want you to get hurt by me."

"Huh? You're worried about me? Well, that's, that's not important, we had a deal remember! You have to keep your end of it. I want to know more about you as well and he is a part of you just as much as your Zanpakuto Zangetsu is."

"But he's a-!" Ichigo started to say but managed to stop himself before the words left his mouth. What had he been thinking! What was he going to shout, that he's a Hollow? That would have sounded pretty low coming from him to her. "That is, I think he'll just try to hurt you," he stopped and breathed in just before he took a shot in the dark, "Again."

Akatsuki looked at him irritably and her eyes narrowed. She knew what he was about to say, it was written all over his expression. _"But he's a Hollow."_ She stared at him for far longer then was comfortable for him and then slowly sidled over towards him so that she was almost face to face with him, she closed her eyes and smiled innocently at him. Then she punched him hard enough to knock him over. "Lets forget what you just said shall we?" Akatsuki said sweetly with a hint of malice as to never say it again.

Ichigo sat up and rubbed the side of his face and glared back at her for a moment before relaxing, hitting made him feel better about what he had nearly said but his side still hurt.

"Besides, its not like we'll be alone in there with him right? I'll bring someone for him to play with!"

"But still."

"Ahem! I need you relax, to be honest it would be better if you were asleep so that I could sit on top of you but that would to be too embarrassing!"

_'Who are you trying to convince when you say that?.' _Hakumei purred maliciously.

"Hey wait a second, isn't that what you did to me already!? What's the problem!?"

Akatsuki glared at him red faced and pointed accusingly. "I I idiot! Don't say it like that! When you say it like that it makes me sound like I was, that is to say, just don't say it like that! Ever!"

Ichigo sighed heavily and looked at her seriously which made her uncomfortable enough to snap her to attention. For a minute neither said anything and then Ichigo grabbed her forcefully by her shoulders and he felt her body go rigid and once again she stared right through him.

"Ichigo!?"

"I'm ready OK? It will be fine right so there's no problem. I trust you!"

"Y y yes," Akatsuki stuttered and shook her head to snap herself out of her own questionable thoughts. Without saying a word she got up and walked behind Ichigo. She knelt down behind him and pulled him slightly towards her until he could feel her breath on the back of his neck. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and rested her forehead against the back of his head. Ichigo wanted to say something but his body refused to obey him and he just sat there in silent fascination.

Akatsuki's eyes closed heavily and then snapped open, her golden eyes now deep red. Akatsuki started to sing. Their souls began to resonate. Ichigo felt the floor drop away from under him.

* * *

"Ah I'm so tired Captain!" Matsumoto moaned as she lay on the couch in Hitsugaya's office and waved her hand in the air. "Can't we carry on in the morning? Or let the others take over for a while."

"Your not helping!" Hitsugaya replied irritably as he stared at the open book on his table. It was true that he was tired and that he hadn't worked out who he was looking for but his lieutenants attitude was getting at his nerves. "It must be one of pages that the book had fell open on, why else would she have dropped it if she hadn't seen something that upset her."

"Or scarred her?"

"Right. She saw something and it made flee without any attempt at stealth, something like that suggests it was something terrifying or traumatic. Our intruder has either a very personal connection to someone listed here."

"Which is hard to believe if she's an Arrancar."

"Or she was one of the people here and seeing her own name and picture was something she couldn't deal with."

"Which is also unlikely! Isn't it? Unless it was a shinigami pretending to be an Arrancar."

"Yes, but both explain her reaction to the book. She wasn't fleeing from us, she was fleeing from the book. I'm certain of it!" Hitsugaya said confidently and tried to remember the pictures that Mayuri had shown him. They had been grained and unclear, there was no way that he could use them to identify the intruder from this old book. People changed a lot over a hundred years and so far he had seen no one in the book with hair that shade of red, though he had seen three with hair just as long. It wasn't enough.

Matsumoto sighed and rolled off of the coach and onto the floor before staggering to her feet uncertainly and wandering over towards her Captain. She stood over behind him and leaned down onto him and ignored his low growls of protest. She glanced quickly at each of the pictures, choosing to ignore the names and profiles for now and hummed in thought. "Isn't that the girl from the world of the living?"

"Huh? What? Which girl are you talking about?" Hitsugaya replied in mild annoyance at the distraction.

"Which girl? So there's more then one? Captain! I had no idea you were so busy!" Matsumoto beamed sarcastically.

"Matsumoto!"

"Ah! Right right sorry! But don't you recognise her? The girl right here!" Matsumoto said excitedly and pointed to a picture halfway down the right-hand side of the page.

"What are you talking about!?"

"You know! When we went to see Kurosaki Ichigo! Its the girl you were hitting on!"

"Nothing was going on! I was just curious!"

"OK OK if you say so, buts it her."

Hitsugaya looked at the picture closer and something clicked. His mind was drawn back to Mayuri's images. The hair colour and length were the same. He hadn't seen her face like Matsumoto had but he remembered there had been something about her, something which had drawn his attention and had refused to let him go. He sensed at the time that she had been out of place but had pushed the thought aside as pointless. Had it really been her?

He regarded the picture critically and frowned. Matsumoto would say that she was beautiful in a natural way, whatever that was supposed to mean. To Hitsugaya's eyes she reminded him of all people Momo. She had that same kind, warm and unsure look about her that he always associated with Momo. "I think its worth a try."

"What's her name, I can't see it with your finger there."

"Suika. Hakumei Suika."


	24. In place of my memories, a song Part 1

_**Twilight Marionette: **Hello everyone! It nice to see you all here again after so long! Sorry about this chapter taking so long but there are several reasons for that. Firstly the start of summer hit me like a rock and spent two weeks feeling sorry for myself. Also I had some trouble writing this chapter, well, not so much trouble writing but deciding out of all the stuff I wrote what to actually to us. Too much imagine can be a problem when it makes you rewrite the chapter 4 times. (Sighs)_

_**Twilight Puppeteer:** Well, there's a first time for everything, its rare that you don't finish due to over working._

_**Twilight Marionette:** Did you say something?_

_**Twilight Puppeteer: **Not a thing._

_**Twilight Marionette:** So as way of an apology, and since I couldn't condense this into one chapter anyway I'll post the next chapter same time next week so look forward to it. And as always thank you to those who read! _

_**Chapter 24: In place of my memories, a song. Part 1**_

_Akatsuki felt herself floating in space as she opened her eyes. She knew this place well and had no fear for it was a part of her that she had made herself. It was like being suspended in water but since there was no reason for her to breath inside her own mind its was like water only in feeling and consistency alone. The world was colored with the deep hues of red's mixed with blacks but the effect was warming rather then oppressive, it made her feel safe._

_She spun herself around and found what she was looking for in the darkness, a bright ball of energy that was also suspended in this inner space._

_Without making any movements she moved towards the light until she was close enough to touch it and reached out towards its warm, intense light._

"_Ichigo," she said to herself as she brought the ball towards her body and held it there tightly. A red aura spread from her body until it had engulfed the orb of light that represented the soul of another person in this world and her eyes opened wide. Her pupil's bright red and deep. "Show me."_

* * *

"Heh, I know this place!" Hollow Ichigo said to himself as he found himself alone in a snow covered field by a frozen lake, framed on either side by low hills and snow covered trees. This was the place that he had met her face to face for the first time, until then it had always been either Hakumei.

He walked over to the side of the frozen lake and looked down at the ice to see his own reflection staring back up at him with his usual malicious grin. His eyes glowed with a unsealable dark light which grew stronger every day. "How long are you planning on hiding from me?" he asked to the girl hiding her presence behind him. He wondered if she was so slow as to not realize he could see her reflection in the water.

"Heeeh your pretty smart, guess there's no fooling you Ichigo," Akatsuki said evilly.

Hollow Ichigo's expression darkened as he spun around, his arm outstretched and his fingers splayed like five thin blades. He met no resistance as his hand cut through thin air. He stared at the place he was sure she had been hovering a moment ago and then looked down towards his feet. "That's another clever trick you have Akatsuki! You were hiding in the reflection on the waters surface!"

"Something like that." Akatsuki said casually behind Hollow Ichigo who stood up straight and stretched his arms until they clicked and let them drop down by his side.

"Something like that huh?"

"So ummm its errr nice to meet you!" Akatsuki stammered now that she had actually had to add something to the conversation. As long as she imagined she was dealing with someone like Grimmjow, Ichigo's inner Hollow only seemed half as threatening, which was still a little too much to deal with.

"Nice to meet you too!" Hollow Ichigo snarled as he spun his body around again with a swipe of his hand and again came into contact with thin air. This time he grinned as he saw the space was empty. He concentrated his senses and quickly swiped behind himself again, this time clenching his hand as he summoned Zangetsu to his hand and snapped it straight towards Akatsuki's neck and held in there a mere fraction of distance from her throat.

"Ah heh heh that's pretty fast of you to see through me so quickly. You really are a creature of instinct, just like Ichigo said," Akatsuki said nervously as she stared down the length of the blade and up towards Hollow Ichigo's triumphant eyes. Without a moments hesitation he flicked the blade straight across her neck and turned around to wipe the blade clean.

"Pathetic! Did you really think you were even halfway as powerful as that thing you call your Zanpakuto!" He snarled and grinned to himself. Only then did he realize that the cut hadn't felt right and his blade was completely free of blood. He looked back down at the reflection in the water and saw Akatsuki bearing down at him from high in the air, her huge scythe as white as the snow and ice.

Hollow Ichigo waited until the moment she was about to cut down towards him and flashed slightly to the side. As the blade passed by where his back had been he cut around towards her and slammed Zangetsu deep into her stomach. Akatsuki felt the breath forced out of her chest and gasped for air. Hollow Ichigo waited for a short moment and then continued the cut, slicing across her body with lethal force. His eyes opened wide in shock as his blade passed over her body as it threw her backwards rather then cut through her, spark's flying from the contact.

Akatsuki was sent spinning backwards but was able to correct herself before she hit the ground and leveled out in mid air, her body floating upside down, her clothes and hair ignoring the presence of gravity. She looked across at him with an annoyed expression and then sighed as all he did was glare at her angrily. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you always just attack people like that?" she said in a depressed tone as she spun her body around to a upright position.

"Hah aha haha I see now! Your far more powerful in this place then you are in the real world, guess I shouldn't be surprised since I suspected as much! In fact killing you might prove to be impossible after all!" he said with dark glee as her body floated gently to the ground and sent a gentle spray of snow out from her feet as she touched down. If he couldn't cut her he would have to think of another way since in this inner world she had a steel skin stronger then even he could cut. "So what do you want anyway?"

"Idiot idiot idiot! You attack me first and then you ask that? Seriously. This is going to be impossible right? It really is," Akatsuki said and shook her head and sighed. "I only wanted to talk to you, to understand you but if your just going to keep attacking me I'm not going to learn anything."

Hollow Ichigo's expression of malice failed for a moment and he looked unsure about what to do. Nobody had ever told him that they just wanted to learn about him before. It was a new and disturbing experience. Zangetsu was right, his killing instincts hesitated.

"I'm such a idiot! I should of let Hakumei do this, there's no way I can get anything out of you if your just going to keep trying to kill me."

Hollow Ichigo still wasn't sure what to do, his fingers tightened around Zangetsu's hilt but his body didn't attack like he wanted it too. He wondered if she was using some kind of restraining techniques that he couldn't detect. She wanted to just talk to him huh. He could do that for a little while until he found an opening. His usual expression returned to his face in full force. "So talk!"

"Huh!" Akatsuki said in shock at the force in his voice and reeled back slightly.

"Since I can't kill you what else can I do but talk to you right, so talk," Hollow Ichigo said as he relaxed his body and sheathed his Zangetsu on his back.

"Seriously?" Akatsuki said in shock and raised an arm in front of herself in defense.

"Yes damn it!"

"Seriously!" Akatsuki repeated with trepidation as a sweat started to appear on her forehead. She had wanted to talk with him and had honestly expected to fail completely. If she had been thinking more she might have actually considered what to do next.

"Argh what the hells your problem woman! Are you really that stupid!" Hollow Ichigo snapped in frustration and marched over towards her and before she could react grabbed her body and twisted his knuckles on her head.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry please put me down!" Hollow Ichigo dropped her after a few more twists, not out of concern but the fact that it was getting boring fast. Akatsuki adjusted her Kimono and brushed her fingers through her hair in annoyance. "You shouldn't do that to a girl!"

"Ha! Human, Hollow, Shinigami, male or female, I don't care! I'll crush anyone who stands against me!" Hollow Ichigo said arrogantly and stared at her, daring her to criticize him.

"But but but you can really damage a girls hair by doing that kind of thing," Akatsuki mumbled in disapproval as she ran her fingers across her head to straighten the mess out.

Hollow Ichigo's brow creased in frustration. "Is that all that you care about you stupid woman!" He watched in annoyance as Akatsuki payed more attention to her hair then to the threat of immediate violence from him. Either she really was completely useless and retarded or she had zero concern for her actual safety in this inner world.

"That's just mean Ichigo, you can't do that kind of thing!" Akatsuki complained again and again failed to react quick enough as Hollow Ichigo closed the distance towards her and started twisting his knuckles on the side of her head. "I'm sorry! I'll behave I'll behave!"

"Stupid woman!" he complained again as he pushed her away from him. "Don't call me that or I really will kill you!" The threat in his voice was obvious even to her and she looked back at him in what seemed like mock horror.

"So whats your name then?"

"What!"

"If I can't call you Ichigo then what am I supposed to call you then?" Akatsuki replied in a cheerful tone and she waved a hand up and down at him. Hollow Ichigo turned away from her and crossed his arms in defiance. Akatsuki stuck her tongue at Hollow Ichigo's back but was quick to correct herself as he turned back on her.

Hollow Ichigo regarded her for a moment with a serious and unamused expression before he broke out into a malicious grin. "How long do you think he'll help you for?

"What?"

"That idiot Ichigo. How long do you think he'll keep staying by your side, how long until he realizes that your just using him for you own ends!" Hollow Ichigo said with unabashed glee. "How long Arrancar!"

"I'm-I'm not using him, I mean, I might have been at first but not anymore. If I was using him I wouldn't have shown him all of this!" Akatsuki said in panic as she motioned to the ice covered inner world that existed between her and Hollow Ichigo. "Now Urahara of course is a different matter, I'll use him for all he's worth." She added on and smiled evilly to herself.

"Maybe so but at least you don't deny that you were using him. Don't get me wrong though! I admire you for using him like that, its exactly what I'd have done if I was as powerless as you! It was amusing to watch that fool being played along."

"So why do you do it then?" Akatsuki asked seriously as her tone of voice changed from argumentative and childish to soft and mature. It was enough to throw Hollow Ichigo completely off of his rhythm and make him stare at her with inquiring, suspicious eyes. He might have played the fool but that wasn't his style, he had no need to lie to this girl. She couldn't change anything even if she did know.

"Because I want his body for my own. Right now I might just be the horse but one day I'll be the king of this body. Then I'll be able to do whatever I want!"

"Why?" Akatsuki asked kindly and smiled. She closed her eyes and left herself completely open to attack from him but the way she was talking kept making him hesitate.

"What do you mean why? Why shouldn't I! Without me he'd have died a long time ago and he knows it, the amount of times I pulled his ass out of the fire proves it. Without me he's nothing and once I take control of his body he really will be nothing," Malicious glee and anger filled his voice and his eyes stared threateningly into Akatsuki's own to little affect. All of a sudden she seemed like a completely different person. It was starting to feel like she was judging him and that was really pissing him off.

"But why?"

"Because I refuse to disappear!" Hollow Ichigo roared angrily and stepped towards her and slammed his hand around her throat and lifted her cleanly off of the ground. He looked up into her kind, warm and stark golden eyes and felt his resolves shake, even if just a little. "I refuse to disappear." He lowered her to the ground and pushed her away before stalking over towards the frozen lakes edge and slamming his body down into a sitting position.

Akatsuki looked down at her feet and her expression darkened. "You don't want to disappear. And Ichigo doesn't want to disappear either. So you fight. And you fight again and again and again. It won't end until one of you destroys the other will it?"

Hollow Ichigo's annoyed expression lightened back to his usual grin. "Now you understand. You probably thought you could convince me to stop right? Well you can't, it will never stop until one of us destroys the other."

"Or until both of you are," Akatsuki added on quietly and Hollow Ichigo refused to say any more about it.

"Hey, let me ask you a question then if were being so buddy buddy," his voice was full of mocking and Akatsuki knew he was sneering at her again. She sighed in annoyance.

"Yes?"

"I can still hear it, that god awful annoying song of yours, the one you use to resonate with people and link your souls, why can I still hear it in my head?"

"You can still hear it?" Akatsuki said with mild but cheerful surprise.

"Its quiet, so quiet I can only hear it when its completely silent but its there. What the hell is that song anyway!"

"Its just a song to resonate souls with, there's nothing more to it," Akatsuki replied with the same honest, cheerful and surprised filled voice. It was true but her simple answer made even her feel like she was lying.

Hollow Ichigo looked over his shoulder at her and considered her for a moment longer. _'So that's what it was that was bothering me about her all this time, she honestly can't feel it can she, that ominous feeling that flows around her whenever she sings her songs. Those songs aren't songs alone, the words have some kind of power, power that I've never seen before but feels so familiar.'_ He watched in annoyance as she continued on talking all by herself and was annoyed by her careless attitude in dealing with him.

Now that he thought about it something else had been bothering him for quite some time and he stood up and looked at the sky. The gray clouds continued to powder the world with snow and he held in his hand out to let it fall onto his palm. His eyes narrowed and he once again he considered the world they were in. It wasn't snow at all, it was ash. "Ash huh?"

"What is it?" Akatsuki said as Hollow Ichigo interrupted her one sided conversation.

He glared at the world around him and now felt he had learned a lot more about her then she knew about it him. He smiled with intent."You really are an idiot aren't you female!"

"Gah! He's turned back into Evil Ichigo again!" Akatsuki said with mock horror.

Hollow Ichigo's eyes brow twitched in stress and he snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you! Are you some kind of masochist or something!"

"Argh! It hurts it hurts!" Akatsuki complained as Hollow Ichigo ground his knuckles against the sides of her head again. She waved her arms around frantically.

"And another thing! Snow is supposed to be cold you moron!" Hollow Ichigo nearly shouted in annoyance at everything about this situation.

"Really?" Akatsuki said in genuine surprise.

"YES!"

"Ow ow ow that hurt's! I'm sorry!"

* * *

_Akatsuki opened her eyes wide and stared at the now glowing red ball. She let in go and it floated a little way away before hovering in front of her. She reached out with her finger and prodded the orb carefully, curious to see if anything would happen but nothing ever did. In this part of her inner world she had complete control. It was the one place that existed that she felt completely safe in. "So, that's your inner self huh Ichigo? He's a lot like, though I'm sure you'd hit me for saying that as well," Akatsuki said in a slow, soft voice._

_She looked around until in the distance she saw another ball of light, just as big as the first and just as bright. They were both so full of life and the will to survive, it was easy to understand why they both fought so hard. As she floated closer to the light she found herself warmed by its glow. The light was warm just like the other but this was soft rather then intense._

"_A kind soul, full of life and passion. A soul that doubts its own strength," Akatsuki said softly as she opened her arms out wide, causing the ball to float towards her through the red and black darkness of the water. As it neared her she held it firmly in front of her with both hands and stared into its light. Then as with the first she brought it close to her chest and held it tight._

* * *

It was snowing outside. Ichigo sat in his seat and watched as the soft snow fell from the sky covering the world in a gentle blanket of pure white. He was sat in a classroom by the window, whatever people attended this class had long since left and the school was quiet and calm. He was sure he could still hear the voices of students in some far distant classroom but paid them no attention and just watched the snow. Only then did his mind acknowledge where it was and his eyes snapped open from their lazy viewing and he looked around in panic.

This was indeed a classroom but it wasn't his or one he had ever been in and he had no idea how he had come to be here. He remembered that Akatsuki had sat behind him and wrapped her arms around him and had started to sing. It was with that thought that the feeling of displacement came.

He stumbled violently to his feet, pushing the chairs and table away from him as the growing sense of panic swept over his body and mind. He walked over towards the window with unstable legs and slammed his hands against the glass, dislodging several centimeters of snow that had managed to settle into a white powdery mist on the ledge.

His mind was suddenly alive with doubt and fear as it tried to make sense of what had just happened. His mind was no longer in his own body alone and it was trying to reject this existence with all of the force it could muster. Ichigo felt more and more displaced with every passing second and his vision starting to blur. The world started to spin

"Whats-whats happening to me, whats going on!" he growled through clenched teeth as he fought to remain conscious. Just as he was about to faint he heard the gentle padding of feet behind him and swung around more violently then he had intended. His fist passed mere millimeters from the girls face but in the blur of vision he never saw her recoil even a inch. The girl stepped into his personal space and wrapped her arms around him. All of his senses returned.

The girl held onto him tightly yet gently, her arms all the way around his back and her head resting on his shoulder. Her touch made the world crystal clear, the feeling of displacement fading rapidly until everything seemed like it had just before his mind had rejected this place. He let his arms fall down by his sides and just let her hold onto him. He could feel her breath against his skin as she just held onto him. He looked down into her soft red hair and smiled weakly.

"Its OK Ichigo, don't worry about it, the feeling will pass soon, it'll be fine," Akatsuki said kindly.

"What happened just then, one moment we were," Ichigo started to say but faltered, he really had no idea what was going on and for some reason it seemed hard to talk. Akatsuki still held onto him without saying a word and he started to feel warm. It was a gentle warmth, one he had not felt in a very long time. It reminded him of his mother.

"What was she like?" Akatsuki asked softly without letting go.

"How did you? Why are you asking me about her?" Ichigo asked, the feeling of warmth was making him feel sleepy and he just wanted to fall asleep right here in Akatsuki's arms. It was wrong to think of her like that in so many ways but it was hard not to. He remembered her so clearly, waiting for him as she always did outside of the dojo. She smiled kindly to him.

Akatsuki let go of him and walked over to an empty chair and threw herself down into it unceremoniously and sighed heavily. Ichigo looked around without any sense of foreboding or displacement and flexed his fingers experimentally before turning towards Akatsuki. "What was all that about?"

"I had to ground you to this place, that's all," Akatsuki said casually and jumped back to her feet with renewed vigor.

""Ground me." What are you talking about?"

"Your mind was rejecting this place, you see, so I had to ground you to it."

Ichigo rubbed his head in thought and then shook it as nothing seemed to make sense. "I have no idea what your talking about."

"Then allow me to explain weary traveler!" Akatsuki grinned happily and jumped backwards on to a desk and wagged her finger at Ichigo who just stared back at her. The moonlight which was breaking through the winter clouds gave her a strange glow even with the classroom light shining on her, her hair seemed to be almost glowing. Ichigo sighed, the dramatics were wasted on him.

Ichigo looked back outside at the snow, it looked so real and he wondered how real it felt. For a long moment he just stared until he heard Akatsuki cough politely to get his attention. He looked up into her golden eyes, full of annoyance at being ignored.

"Don't mind me Ichigo, just tell me when your finished will you?" Akatsuki said sarcastically and regarded him critically.

"Sorry."

"Ahem! As I was saying before you found the snow so interesting! This place is inside of me, its part of my mind. Hence why your mind found it so hard to deal with being here all of a sudden"

"You have a high school inside your mind?" Ichigo asked without thinking.

Akatsuki frowned at the second interruption and coughed loudly for attention. "Its a metaphor! As I was saying! Your mind quickly realized that it wasn't in its own body and tried to reject this place, its a natural reaction, its why I don't like forcing my way into people's minds. Things can get, kinda, messy." Akatsuki looked to the side suspiciously and scratched her chin.

"Oi! Why does it sound like you've messed up before!"

"That's why I needed something familiar, something strong. Some memory that is so important to you that no matter what happens to you you will never forget it. Once I have that memory in my mind I can use it to bind you this place, it acts like a stabilizer so that your mind can cope with what is happening. Does that make sense?"

Ichigo looked around the room again and reached down towards a desk and placed his fingers gingerly on the wood and ran them along its smooth, cool surface. It felt so real that he might as well have been in the real world. No wonder his mind tried to reject this place, it was so real that it could fool all of his other senses. "Yeah, I get it. With that you can stop my mind from fighting against this place. Its like a connection between us right? It ties my soul to yours so that I can stay here."

"Hmmm that's not exactly what I meant but its a useful lie I guess," Akatsuki said and shrugged before leaping down from the desk and walking over towards the door of the room which she made sure to close tightly and clicked the lock shut. She turned around and pressed her back against the wall and stared at Ichigo.

"Have you seen enough? Can we leave now?" Akatsuki said softly and glanced towards the floor. She felt a little guilty about the way she was acting, she had had little trouble with Ichigo's Hollow being in here but she was still unable to deal with Ichigo being here with the same ease.

"No way, this is nothing right? I told you, I want to understand you a little better. I've known you for a while now but if I'm honest I don't really know anything about you. I want to learn more about you. I need to understand." Ichigo walked over towards the window and placed his hand on the glass. It was cool to the touch but something didn't feel right, it was a small nagging sensation in his mind that was trying to tell him something but he wasn't sure what it was.

He looked out of the window and through the falling snow towards the town that lay beyond the school boundary. The lights were on in many of the homes but in not one of the streets did he see even a single person. In fact there were no cars either. Other then the falling snow the town was silent and still. Something didn't feel right about this inner world. There was no life here. "We're linked right? Does that mean you can hear my thoughts? I mean, that is your ability right?"

"It doesn't work like that Ichigo. Its true, right now our minds are linked together. But your memories are yours and my memories are mine. What I have left of them anyway, I can't see anything that you don't want me to see."

"Is that a rule? Or a condition you set yourself?"

"Does it really matter?"

Ichigo looked at her reflection in the window and smiled. She looked so downcast. "Lets go outside." Her reflection looked up with an almost panicky expression.

"O-O-OK," Akatsuki stuttered and sighed with relief as she unlocked the lock without turning. Ichigo turned to face her and grinned but made no motion towards the door. Instead he reached up and unlocked the window and threw it open out into the gently falling snow. He turned around and offered his hand to her.

"Not that way," Ichigo said with growing confidence.

"Heh! If you think you can fly here your going to be sorry."

"Ha! Trust me!"

* * *

"This is so not cool guys!" Karin complained as she was pulled along gently down the corridor by Yuzu and her father Isshin. She really wasn't surprised and felt as if this had happened before but she couldn't quite remember when. The two of them were crouched in front of the door to Ichigo's room and were listening intently. It was her own fault for noticing that Akatsuki was nowhere else in the house and Ichigo's door was locked. She should have known better.

"Don't you want to know whats going on in there! I heard singing but now its gone suspiciously quiet!" Isshin almost shouted in enthusiasm. Karin sighed at the complete lack of stealth. If they were going to spy on Ichigo it wouldn't hurt to go about it quietly.

"That's right! She could be doing terrible things to Ichigo!" Yuzu added and nodded along with Isshin. A look of horror crossed her face and she quickly added; "Or the terrible things brother might be doing with her!"

"Really? So either way something horrible is going on in there? Why is that?" Karin replied sarcastically and sighed. "What exactly do you think she could be doing to him in there out of interest?"

"Ah! Well its just that, well, she could be, you know," Yuzu mumbled loudly and trailed off before returning her ear to the door with a look of grim determination. Karin noticed Yuzu blush and gave up on her and mistakenly turned to Isshin who was still nodding to what Yuzu had said.

"As a father its my responsibility to keep an eye on Ichigo so that he doesn't get himself into trouble!" Isshin said with great pride as he also returned his ear to the door.

"That sounds like a lie when you say it," Karin said harshly and walked off down the corridor. "Well, at least you haven't tried to break into his room yet."

"Of course we haven't! What kind of father do you take me for!" Isshin called after her as she walked away. He waited until she was out of ear shot and whispered loudly to Yuzu. "Did we try to open the door yet?"

"The doors locked and Ichigo put something in front of the key hole!" Yuzu replied sharply.

"Damn that devious Ichigo!" Isshin nodded to himself and slammed his fist into his open palm.

Karin waited just out of sight and sighed again as she listened on in mild annoyance and grief. It really was totally uncool. Well, at least she wasn't as noisy as them two she told herself. Once she was satisfied that she wasn't she walked over to Akatsuki's room and pushed the door open gently, just in case she really was in here after all. She wasn't.

She looked around curiously. She and Yuzu had been in this room almost daily but Akatsuki had always been there when they had. In hindsight there was probably a good reason for that. Without Akatsuki in here the room seemed devoid of life and the evidence that someone lived here at all. It was just so empty of anything personal. The bed was cleanly made, what few clothes she had were laid neatly on top of the bed sheets and other then that there was nothing of interest.

That was except for the box. Next to the box were various tools of different shapes and sizes, some of them she recognized, some of them she didn't and most of them looked like they had been put together using whatever Akatsuki could lay her hands on. Various lengths and colors of thread were also left scattered around carelessly.

Karin knew that she shouldn't and it would probably make her worse then her sister and father but there was something so familiar about the box. A great feeling of familiarity and warmth as if the box were something important from her past, something she held dear. Though she had never seen such a box before in her life.

She would have turned away and closed the door if not for human curiosity and the thought that if it was not the box then it was perhaps something in the box. She walked over the table and stood over the harmless looking box and started at it intently for a moment before gingerly reaching down to the lid and taking hold of it. She lifted the lid carefully and looked inside.

"Heh, seriously, your so dense Ichigo," Karin said to herself wearily with a warm smile on her face as she looked at the object in the box. No wonder something about it had seemed so familiar now she was looking at it. She closed the lid carefully and picked up the box before walking over to Akatsuki's bed and kneeling in front of it. She carefully pushed the box under the bed and left the room as quietly as she had entered it.


	25. In place of my memories, a song part 2

_Twilight Marionette: Konichiwa everybody, I know I said I'd post this on Wednesday but I've been ill for the last 3 days with a fever so apologies on that. Still, its a lot quicker then I usually post so meh. Heh heh heh._

_Twilight Puppeteer: Your still ill though, seriously, your burning up._

_Twilight Marionette: Yes! That's right, I'm on fire right now! Aha hahahaha!_

_Twilight Puppeteer: Its not just your body that's ill is it?_

_Twilight Marionette: Did you say something?_

_Twilight Puppeteer: Nothing at all. Please forgive any small mistakes, she really is pretty ill right now. Thank you for reading, as always!_

_**Chapter 25: In place of my memories, a song. Part 2**_

Ichigo looked up into the sky as the snow gently fell all over his body from the dark gray clouds that moved slowly overhead. Akatsuki's face came into view with a depressed expression on her face but Ichigo felt so alive that he didn't really notice. She appeared to be speaking to him but the words never reached him and her lips moved to silence. She looked down at him with annoyance and he grinned at her just sound returned to his ears. "Hey!"

"Don't you hey me! I told you you couldn't fly here Ichigo," Akatsuki said with little amusement on her face as she hovered over Ichigo's field of vision. Ichigo noticed that the snow never seemed to land on her, managing to fall around her rather then onto her.

"That hurt!" Ichigo grinned as he winced with one eye as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. "Just like my inner world I guess."

Akatsuki looked at him suspiciously. "You thought it wouldn't be?"

"I had no idea what to expect."

"And you jumped anyway?" Akatsuki sighed heavily as she pulled Ichigo his feet and dusted him off before slowly floating away from him. Ichigo looked at her with annoyance and pointed at her accusingly. "You said we can't fly in this world! So why are you hovering upside down like that!"

"No no no I said you can't fly here," Akatsuki said cheerfully and waved her finger at him. "This is my inner world after all."

Ichigo wanted to complain some more but he realized with grim awareness that she really had warned him not to leap from the window with her in hand. In hindsight he really should have listened to her. Another thought occurred and he pointed at her accusingly again. "You let go off me on purpose! I remember now! You smiled innocently at me and let go off my hand!"

"Its strange through, normally Hakumei would of come to meet us by now. She normally refuses to allow anyone to be alone with me in my Soul-scape. The other Ichigo was constantly being watched by her but you, she's not watching you," Akatsuki said as she looked up into the snow laden clouds.

"Hey! Don't just change the subject like that! And what do you mean the other me? You linked with my Hollow as well?" Ichigo almost shouted.

"Ah! Its so pretty tonight! Come on Ichigo, come with me quickly. Come on come on!" Akatsuki grabbed Ichigo's hand and ran back towards the doorway into the school, dragging him along with her.

"Hey! Hey! Stop changing the subject! You don't have to pull like that!" Ichigo ran after Akatsuki back through the open doors into the strange high school. It wasn't that much different then his own school but it felt very different. For a start it was far too quiet and the lack of movement made the shadows look all the more like they were, in fact, moving.

It was easy enough to keep up with her as she was not running anymore but floating along at a reasonable pace like a ghost and with as much interest in her surroundings as one. Ichigo however kept falling behind as certain things caught his eye. Not once but twice now he had passed by a room with an open door only to see someone in there in the corner of his eye. However each time he stopped to look back the room was as empty as all the others. Nor was there anything to suggest that anyone had been there to start with.

Catching back up with a completely uninterested Akatsuki they came to a stair case, Akatsuki turned and waited at the base for him. She grinned at him evilly and pointed at Ichigo which made him stop and look back at her suspiciously. "What is it?" Ichigo asked wearily.

"You know I said that you can't fly here?" Akatsuki said as her eyes narrowed and her expression became happily evil.

"Yeah?" Ichigo replied defensively.

"See you up there!" The air around her body distorted for a brief moment and then a vortex of air exploded out from her with a force strong enough to make Ichigo to raise his arms in front of his face defensively. As the last of the air currents passed by him he removed his arms just in time to see Akatsuki fly up the space between the stairs. Ichigo ran up to where she had been standing and looked up at her rapidly ascending figure.

"Hey! The least you could do was carry me with you! Oi! Damn it!" Ichigo cursed as he started running up the long, winding stairs. Only now that he was running up them did he realize that they were far higher then the outside of the building would have suggested and Ichigo reminded himself that this was not a world to be taken literally. Still, it didn't make it any quicker to climb knowing that.

Akatsuki had already reached the top and Ichigo grimaced as he mentally estimated how much longer he had left to climb. Had he had his Shinigami abilities this would have been so much easier and he wondered what it was about this place that was suppressing them. Or if was a simply a matter of having to learn to use them in this inner world. He wondered how much power his other self still had in this world.

As he reached the very top of the stairs he stopped to catch his breath just in front a door that Akatsuki had broken the lock to. "Why the hell do you need to brake down a door in your own inner world?" he said in between pants as he waited for his breathing to return to normal. Now that he looked closer at the door he realized that its surface was covered with strange, almost arcane symbols arranged in a multitude of almost random patterns. He was about to reach out to touch them when he felt something push against his back and throw him through the unlocked door.

His vision was lost for a moment as he was thrust out into the now heavily falling snow storm. He reeled around aggressively to face the person that pushed him but found himself staring into an empty stairwell. He reached up and scratched his head in thought and shock his head. A sudden gust of icy cold wind blew against the back of his head and drew his attention to the rest of the roof. It was kind of similar to the roof on his own school but there were no railings around the edge. Of course if no one lived here what would been the point. There was no Akatsuki to be seen.

"Hey! Akatsuki!" Ichigo shouted. For a moment there was nothing but that same ominous silence that ruled this world.

"Up here Shinigami-sama!" Akatsuki called from up above and behind, Ichigo's eyes following her call. Akatsuki was standing atop a large metal water tower staring out over the town with a pleased look on her face. Her large scarf was blowing furiously behind her along with her hair but her clothes seemed to be completely unaffected by whatever wind was blowing up there.

Without waiting for an invitation Ichigo ran around the stairwell entrance until he found a series of ladders that lead up to the top of the water tower. For a moment he considered trying to leap the distances but had his doubts and decided it would be less painful and troublesome to just climb. As he climbed he noticed that the metal was cold to the touch but not as cold as it should have been in the current weather but he paid little attention and instead concentrated on climbing. As he reached the top of the water towers ladder he found himself staring at Akatsuki's face.

Akatsuki was kneeling down in front of the ladder and smiling innocently at Ichigo with her eyes closed, her hair blowing around her, framing her against the snow filled night sky. For a moment Ichigo froze and was snapped out of it as Akatsuki returned his stare with a puzzled look on her face. "Ichigo?"

"Huh? What? Uh never mind its nothing," Ichigo said as he shock his head and pulled himself up the last part of the ladder with Akatsuki's help. Despite the snow her hands felt so very warm, just like she had been when he first met her in this inner world. "That was a hassle, this better be worth it."

Akatsuki kept hold of his hand and looked up into his eyes with concern which then turned into a devious smile. "You should of just asked me to carry you."

"Why you!" Ichigo growled and clenched a fist at her which only made her smile wryly at him and return to her spot on the water tower where Ichigo had seen her when he looked up. He forgot that she was still holding his hand and found himself brought beside her. It was the same kind of view from down below but up here, looking down on the inner world with Akatsuki next to him it felt so much different.

The town looked warm and inviting in the falling snow. The town glowed with a strong warmth that he could almost feel on his skin. Inside, he cursed his own inner world for being so weird. It really was a more impressive sight from up here and he wondered if this place had a name. A foolish thought, he didn't have a name for his inner world either. Since until recently no one had ever been there there didn't seem much of a point. At least in this world the buildings were the right way up.

He looked to his side and stared at Akatsuki for a moment without her noticing as she watched the snow falling with the fascination of a child. Any minute now he half expected her to start running around or throwing snowballs at him.

Ichigo had still been wondering what it was about this world that had been bugging him so much, there were plenty of things that were out of place here. No people yet or animals and no movement other then themselves and the weather. He reached his hands out and let the snow gather on his hand and let it build up into a small pile before he realized what it was that was bugging him so much. Snow was supposed to be cold. "The snow here isn't cold." Something inside him made him feel as if he had said this not so long ago.

Akatsuki looked back at him sheepishly and then in an almost affronted manner as if Ichigo had just caught her doing something she shouldn't. She reached out her hand and let the snow pile up gently on her palm before blowing it into the wind. "I didn't know that."

"What?"

"I didn't know snow was supposed to be cold," Akatsuki replied softly as she watched the snow clouds roll slowly overhead. She had only ever seen snow in pictures that Aizen had showed her, no one had ever told her it supposed to be cold. Even if they had, she had never felt it on her skin to know it before.

Ichigo looked at her critically and decided to be tactful. She came from a world of wind, sand and perpetual night. Never seeing the snow, it wasn't that hard to imagine. Hollow rarely retained memories from when they were alive either so that didn't help. "Yeah its cold, it melts when it lands on your hand too," Ichigo said kindly and let some more of the flakes fall onto his hand, half expecting them to turn cold now that she knew they were supposed to be so. For some reason all he could see now was white ash falling onto a silent, dead world.

"I've never actually seen the snow before so I can't imagine what it feels like, it must be wonderful!"

Ichigo stared at her for a moment before nodding to himself. "I'll show it to you some time."

Akatsuki looked across at him and smiled weakly. "Do you promise? You cant forget! You can't promise me that in here and forget it out there in the real world, I'll never forgive you if you do Shinigami!"

"I promise I'll show you real snow. I won't forget, you can count on it Akatsuki." Ichigo grinned at her as her weak smile perked up a little though far less then he would have liked to see. Not for the first time he wondered if she really was reading his very mind like a book. She said she wouldn't but did she actually mean she couldn't. Was he upsetting her?

"Next time," Akatsuki started to say and hesitated. "Next time you come here I'll show you my real inner world. So you better not forget what you promised me."

Ichigo smiled to himself but didn't look back at her. He had started to guess as much, that this inner world wasn't completely genuine. There was just no way people like him or her could ever have such a beautiful and peaceful inner world. "Metaphor huh? So, shall we start?"

"Huh?" Akatsuki replied incredulously.

"We can go deeper then this right, I know you can experience the memories of others. And I bet they can experience yours as well. I want you to do that, let me show you some of my memories. That is, if you trust me, if not, then that's fine too."

"Its hardly a question of if I trust you Shinigami! Your the one who'll be in danger if I screw up remember! Your the one who has to trust me, not the other way around!" Akatsuki shouted at him enthusiastically as she waved her arms up and down. Ichigo just grinned back at her which threw her off guard. "W-what is it?"

"Heh! Nothing at all, I guess you really aren't reading my thoughts right now after all."

"What are you," Akatsuki started to say but trailed off as he continued to grin at her.

"I'm here right? How can you think I don't trust you? You could really mess me up in this place right, something about destroying my mind and sanity," Ichigo waved his hand around to emphasis his point as he spoke. "You really think I'd be here if I thought even for a moment that I couldn't trust you. Don't be such a moron." Ichigo placed his hand on her shoulder and Akatsuki looked away to the side with an expression of both frustration and relief.

"You better not regret it later! Whatever happens from this point onwards is your own responsibility. It was your decision, remember that Shinigami," Akatsuki said without meeting his gaze. Even though it wasn't a real hand on her shoulder it was real enough to make her uncomfortable. A few strange thoughts crossed her mind and she mumbled to herself.

For a moment nothing happened and they both just stood there in silence, the cool snow settling on their shoulders and heads. "So how does this work exactly? Are we supposed to hold hands or something to form a connection?" Ichigo asked to break the silence.

"Are you a idiot? Why would we need a connection, were already connected, don't you remember? In the world of the waking were already in close contact with each other."

"You know that isn't what I meant Akatsuki."

Akatsuki sighed in defeat. She had really wanted to get away with just showing him this place but Ichigo really did want to close the gap between them. He really was taking Urahara's words too seriously she felt, that old man was probably just trying to mess with her. But she really did want to share this with Ichigo if he really was willing. She just hoped that the experience wouldn't do more harm then good. "I have the ability to see the memories of other people, that is the highest form my powers take. At best its just low level telepathy that requires a stable physical and spiritual link. If you want me see something then you need to decide what it is. Its not my place to pick a memory at random."

"So I just need to remember something?"

"It helps if its a memory that's important to you. Ah! I know! Like you one we used earlier to create the spiritual resonance between us. A strong memory like that would be perfect!" Akatsuki looked up at Ichigo as she spoke enthusiastically. Ichigo's expression didn't change at all but Akatsuki was good at reading emotions and she could tell when she was treading into something she shouldn't.

"Its not like that's the only thing I want to see! No no no don't get me wrong! There's plenty of other important memories you can pick I'm sure, anything will do really!" Akatsuki rambled uncontrollably.

Ichigo's heart felt heavy and burned. He wasn't angry at her as he watched her ramble on and on, he had no right to be. She had no way of knowing what had happened. How could she. "No its fine, I can't think of anything as important to me as my mother."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why does that surprise you?" Ichigo replied in a tone that suggested Akatsuki was treading on very thing ice. Akatsuki backed away from him in shock at his tone and he instantly regretted it. The snow falling all around him made him feel guilty. Of course she didn't know why his mother would be so important to him, did Hollow even have mothers? The best they could ever do was pretend. He smiled confidently at her and nodded. "So whats going to happen exactly?"

Akatsuki looked back him for a while before her expression became far more serious. "Just leave it all to me Shinigami-sama! I'll sing for you the song of Heaven!" Akatsuki moved into Ichigo before he could react and held her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. He looked down at her an d realized that she had her eyes closed as if she had simply fallen asleep right then and there.

He was about to reach down to her when he remembered what she had just told him. "Just concentrate on something important to me right?" he said to himself and looked up at the sky. It was painful but he already moved on from that and there was no reason not. In fact, he would probably feel better knowing someone else knew exactly how he had felt, experiencing the same heartache and pain. If she wanted to share it with him then he wouldn't deny himself that support.

Ichigo closed his eyes and concentrated. He remembered how his mother had made him feel and the times they had shared. And how he had lost her to Grand Fisher. He opened his eyes wide as the world seemed to distort. He could feel the connection with Akatsuki with so much clarity. Her own soul resonated with his and he felt at one. Akatsuki's eyes opened just slightly, a red light glowing from within escaping.

* * *

_Ichigo's soul. It was so bright she felt that if she stared into it long enough it would burn her. The light floated slowly away from her as she stared at it with nervous apprehension. The red and black hue deepened all around her as her heart's resolved weakened._

"_He has faith in me," she said to herself but still found herself hesitating to touch the soul. She stared at the gently burning soul with weary eyes. Unsure of what to do she held her left arm out into the empty water and opened her palm, as she did so a glowing red sphere appeared in her hand._

"_I know that but still," she said to the sphere critically and after a few more moments of apparent silence glared at the sphere and narrowed her eyes. "Its not as simple as that! Why does everyone but me see it as simple anyway!"_

_Akatsuki listened to Hakumei's soul intently, the red light distorting the color of her own eyes in its red aura. As easily as she had summoned the soul she gently closed her hand, the red and black sphere shrinking and disappearing into nothingness. She floated towards the sphere that was Ichigo's soul and looked at it intently. "Is it really OK?" she said softly to herself and reached out to poke the sphere._

_Nothing ever happened when she poked them and wondered why she felt the need to do it, maybe it was the strange sound they made when she did. She opened her arms out wide and the sphere floated towards her and she wrapped her arms around it gently, its warmth spreading through her body. And its confidence. She sighed and smiled at the sphere. It was true no matter how you looked at it, Ichigo's confidence was infectious. She closed her eyes and concentrated._

"_Let me sing to you the Song of Heaven." Akatsuki said in more then one voice as she started to sing, her song causing the light from the sphere to completely engulf her in its intense, burning white glow._

* * *

Akatsuki's eyes completely closed and her body relaxed as it held onto Ichigo. She started to sing and her soft voice spread across the inner world. A red aura spread around her and Ichigo, which enlarged into a red and black sphere. The Song of Heaven resonated across the inner world.

The symbols on the inside of the stairwell door glowed deep red and then faded into nothingness. Hakumei watched until they had all faded and sighed. Though she also smiled warmly. "I really wish you would say something, especially at a time like this." Hakumei said to the person standing behind her.

The dark shrouded figure of the girl who shared Akatsuki's face said nothing and simply stared.

Hakumei turned her head to face her and grinned. This was the same girl who frequently appeared in Akatsuki's dreams, causing her much grief. When asked if Hakumei knew who or what she was she had not exactly been honest and had denied any knowledge. The kind and soulful notes of the Song of Heaven made the girl recoil in what Hakumei guessed was fear and pain.

"I'm sorry, but I think its time you both remembered. It can't be helped in the end. When that time comes, I hope you'll find that strength you lost so long ago. Without your help neither one of them can defeat me. After all, I'm not here to be helpful, only to protect what was most important to her."

The little girl said nothing to this as well and turned away, fading into the stonework of the wall. Hakumei sighed as she felt her disappear. "If only I could remember you name."

* * *

Akatsuki's eyes opened wide, their red centers fading to a deep golden hue. Everything seemed out of sync for a moment and the world was distorted by monochrome light. As the link stabilized she was met by the view of a wide, aching river. It looked so familiar. The rain fell heavily onto the water soaked ground causing little rivers to run under her feet as she floated just above the ground. "I know this place. I think."

"This is! So you really can do this kind of thing huh? I never thought it would be this real," Ichigo said with honesty. No matter how many times her powers to see the memories of other people had been explained to him he had never really expected it to be so real. It was just like it had been. He looked up into the sky with saddened eyes into the dark clouds and the falling rain. It felt so heavy and cold as it pounded his face. He didn't dare look down, knowing what he was going to see.

Akatsuki looked at him with mild annoyance. "So, all this time, you were doubting what I told you? That pisses me off for some reason." Akatsuki had not failed to notice the young boy crying over the body of a woman but remained silent on the subject. She could feel how that young boy was feeling right now, just as Ichigo must have felt at the time however she lacked the emotional connection Ichigo had to his mother and so the emotions flowing through her were without context and so had no outward effect.

"Heh, Sorry."

"This place is important to you?" Akatsuki asked in a emotionless tone of voice. Ichigo turned on her and immediately stopped himself from doing anything. Even if this was a sad memory for him there was no reason at all for her to understand, it was his memory after all, not hers. Though her expression lacked any emotion it was not unkind, it merely lacked understanding.

"This place, this is the place where my mother died."

"Ichigo," Akatsuki said seriously but lacked the heart to chastise him. She wondered what had possessed him to bring up such a painful memory like this but understood that he had his reasons. It was the least she could do, to watch to the very end on the dream. She always thought of it as her responsibility to watch until the very end.

"Kinda pathetic huh," Ichigo said as he put his face into the palm of his hand and laughed quietly to himself. "Your probably thinking what kind of person could have this kind of memory as his most precious recollection of his mother? Its true though. Its not like I enjoy remembering this, of course I don't but, the thing is, its the most powerful memory I have of her. In this time and in this place, I remember her most strongly of all."

Akatsuki swallowed hard to herself but refrained from saying anything. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say in a situation like this. Hollow rarely needed comforting and when they did they never admitted it to each other. She wondered if she should put her arm around him but her expression darkened as she remembered that even if she had wanted too she had no presence here. She was no more then a ghost, watching a play.

"Akatsuki? This is just a memory right? So nothing I do here will change anything really, but, just this once, can I change what happened that day?" Ichigo said stoically to himself as he looked straight into her eyes.

"I'm sorry Ichigo but you can't change what's already happened. The past will always be the past. No matter how much you want to change it," she turned her view back to where the body of his dead mother lay, with a young boy, Ichigo she guessed, crying over her body. Though at the time Ichigo couldn't see it she could see it now, the trail left by the vile creature known as Grand Fisher. She started to float down towards the boy like a ghost, her body suspended, half out of sight. As she reached down to touch where the boys shoulder would have been she felt a tremor run through her body and her eyes opened wide in pain.

Ichigo followed behind her and knelt down next to boy and the body of his dead mother. For some reason now that he looking down at his own past as an observer he didn't feel as bad as he had expected he would. He was sad but not so much that he wanted to cry anymore. He had cried enough for her a long time ago. "Sorry for showing you such a weak side to myself," he said without looking at the ailing Akatsuki.

"Ah ahahahah its not such a bad thing, there's no reason for you to apologize," Akatsuki said as she looked away from him with an embarrassed smile. The pain had gone now but there was no doubting that extreme pressure she had felt a moment ago. It had felt like she was being crushed from all directions at once. She looked around but found the world to be exactly as it had been a moment ago. "Somethings wrong here."

"You OK? You looked kinda pale, like someone just scared the life out of you," Ichigo said with genuine concern as he almost leaped to his feet to walk over to her. "If you can't do this any longer then stop!" He reached out towards her but Akatsuki gracefully avoided his grip and floated backwards a few paces further away from him.

"No no no its fine, I'm in complete control," Akatsuki said unconvincingly and waved hand up and down towards Ichigo. "Its just been a while since I've done this kind of thing, that's all. Ahahaha." Another wave of pain passed through her and her eyes opened wide in response. "Ichigo! No!"

When she had reacted with such pain in her eyes Ichigo had instinctively moved to catch her and her voiced only reached him as he was about to touch her. It was too late, he couldn't stop in time.

* * *

Ichigo's eyes shot open at the same moment he heard a strangely familiar scream cut short and a loud thud, the kind you would hear if you ran into a door and the door won. He was lying on his back looking up at the ceiling, his mind was full of thoughts, feelings and idea's that he was fairly sure weren't his own. He wondered if they were Akatsuki's and were a result of the link between them.

He looked to his sides and found that Akatsuki was nowhere to be seen and he looked back up at the ceiling and his mind raced. It was a strangely wonderful feeling. Even though his mind was crowded with thoughts that were not his own it had never felt sharper and clearer, at least for the moment, everything seemed so unimportant and he had not a care in the world. He wondered if this was how Akatsuki felt all the time but he doubted it, it was more suitable to imagine that this was how Hakumei saw the world. "Hakumei Suika," Ichigo said to himself without realizing why and forgot the name almost as soon as the words left his mouth. "Huh?"

"Arghhhh damn it!" Akatsuki complained loudly as she groped her head. She was leaning against the door which had so kindly not given way as she was thrown into it. "This is why I don't like doing this with other species, it always ends in a rejection reaction!" she shouted accusingly towards the ceiling. She looked across at Ichigo and half glared at him as she realized he was doing perfectly fine. However glaring proved too much of an effort and she just sighed and closed her eyes as lay slumped up against the door.

The residual thoughts that were in Ichigo's mind started to dissipate and as they did it was almost as if he had never even felt them. A few moments later the feeling escaped him completely and he couldn't seem to remember how it had felt to begin with. He felt annoyed for some reason and he twisted his head upwards so that he could see Akatsuki. "You OK?"

"Do I look okay, damn it! Why did you have to reach out to me!" Akatsuki shouted at the ceiling as the last of the migraine left her head. Realizing she had just shouted at him for no reason she looked back down at him and scratched her head sheepishly and smiled. "It can't be helped. It was just too much."

"You saw her right, my mother? Or was it more like you were there? I don't seem to remember too much after you started singing."

"Ah well you see its kinda like," Akatsuki started to say and hesitated. She wondered if that had been the memory that Ichigo had truley wanted her to see. It had been so sad. She had no idea what had caused her so much physical pain but when he reached out to touch her he completely shattered the link between them. "I'm sorry."

Ichigo twisted his body and pushed himself to his feet and walked over towards her. She didn't seem able to meet his gaze and he understood why. He knelt down in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. Akatsuki seemed surprised by the contact and looked up at him wide eyed.

"Shinigami-sama?" Her chest felt heavy with pain and guilt. Some of it Ichigo's, some of it her own.

"Stop calling me that!" Ichigo said sternly but grinned back at her worried expression.

"But I saw something far too precious! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to its just that that's what your heart chose to show me! If I had known I would never have, I got carried away and," Akatsuki rambled, her eyes darting from left to right as she thought about each and every word that left her mouth. Ichigo put his other hand on her free shoulder and her eyes froze.

"Its not your fault, you don't have to apologize for anything, not to me. Its no secret what happened to my mother. Rukia, Orihime, Chad, Ishida, Urahara, they all know what happened to me in my past, its not something I need to hide anymore, not from them, not from you. The fact that you not only saw it but felt my pain and sadness. You can't imagine how much that means to me. I think that's why I showed it to you, to show that I trust you completely even with my most precious memory. Or something like that! Damn, that sounded embarrassing," Ichigo tutted to himself in annoyance at himself.

Akatsuki stared into his eyes and found herself unable to meet his gaze gain but this time it was because her chest was starting to feel hot and her breathing was starting to become faster. She looked back up at him intently. _'Your most precious memory, you gave me your most precious memory, Ichigo that's so, that's so, stupid. You idiot.'_ She smiled to herself and felt her body relax. "Idiot."

On the other side of the door Isshin Kurosaki stood with his back to the wood with his arms folded in front of him. Karin and Yuzu had already left and he had been about to when he had heard the sound of a young lady being blown head first into a door. Even if he hadn't of been there to hear it the large burst of Reiastu would have made it obvious regardless. He grinned to himself and nodded his head in approval at Ichigo's little speech. Sometimes he wondered if his son wasn't as clueless with girls as he thought he was. But it had defiantly been a good speech.

"Akatsuki? Are you OK? Your face is turning red and your forehead is on fire!" Ichigo said with genuine concern as he rested the back of his hand against her temple and gave her a look of serious concern.

"Ichigo your such an idiot." Akatsuki smiled warmly at his concern as she sat there being cared for. It was true that she was feeling feverish, she always did after such a long soul link but that was not the only reason. She closed her eyes and sighed to herself too quietly for Ichigo to notice. "But then again so am I."

* * *

Hitsugaya stepped out of line and out into the middle of the assembled Captains before turning his view towards Yamamoto who had ordered an immediate strategy discussion upon Hitsugaya's learning of the intruders name and identity. Things were now a lot more complicated then a mere infiltration.

"Hakumei Suika, former 5th seat from division 5, she served under the then Captain Shinji Hirako. She went missing several months before the start of the Vizard incident and had yet to be located, it was assumed that she had either been killed or had deserted for reasons unknown," Hitsugaya said as he read off from the open book in his hands. Finding a name and a picture had been immensely helpful in finding a host of missing information, not least by Mayuri's efforts to undo the work done by the infiltrator.

"So its possible that she was in league with Aizen at the time and went missing to hide her involvement, interesting," Byakuya mused to himself in thought.

"She disappeared before months before it started to get serious, she might not be involved at all. It would be foolhardy to move based on such an unproven theory." Sajin Komamura added on tactfully before anyone started to jump to conclusions.

"I agree, we don't know enough about what happened back then to reach such a awful conclusion so carelessly," Ukitake agreed. Looking at her picture and name in the book brought a feeling of guilt to his heart. She light have been just another victim of Aizen's ambitions, long forgotten and condemned as guilty by association. "There's no proof at all that this girl had any allegiance of personal affiliation with Aizen to begin."

"Aizen was her lieutenant at the time, its hard to believe that they didn't know each other. Though I do agree, we don't have enough data to judge her disappearance on. Her relationship to Aizen withstanding, its possible that she was one of his first victim's just as much as its possible that she was in league with him and disappeared for reason's beyond our knowledge." Mayuri stated as fact in his usual arrogant tone. "We need more data!"

"Enough!" Yamamoto roared as he slammed his walking stick down hard onto the wooden floor causing a mighty boom which drew all eyes towards him and silence any voices in objection. "We are not here to determine her relationship to Aizen 100 years ago! We are here to determine her relationship with the traitor Aizen in this time! There can be little doubt based on what we know that Hakumei Suika is in league, or at the very least not an enemy of Sousuke Aizen. A Shinigami with the powers of a Hollow, regardless of her innocence, cannot be allowed to roam freely in the world of the living." Everyone was left silent at Yamamoto's words, his authority was embedded into every word he spoke, a effect that only strengthened with his years.

"What about Kurosaki Ichigo?" Soi Fon asked with a deadly serious expression her face. Everyone had been avoiding the question but she felt compelled to ask it.

"That's different," Hitsugaya started to say but was cut off as Soi Fon raised a hand towards his mouth.

"I'm not talking about his condition. I mean do we seriously believe that this Hakumei Suika has been roaming free in his home town without his knowledge. I find it hard to believe."

"We have no proof that she is still in the world of the living anyway," Sajin stated unemotionally.

"We have no reason to think that she isn't. She escaped to Karakura town rather then Hueco Mundo so I see no reason why we shouldn't look for her there again. Its obvious that she has some reason for remaining there," Soi Fon tensed herself as she awaited the inevitable response.

"Ha! You didn't find her last time, why will you find her this time? At least one of my men engaged her in combat!" Zaraki Kenpachi laughed maliciously as he spoke, much to Soi Fon's annoyance.

"And lost!" Soi Fon snapped back much to Zaraki's amusement.

"So what?"

"My point is," Soi Fon said as she turned respectfully towards Yamamoto. "My point is that we have a confirmed identity. If she's still hiding in Karakura town we will find her this time. With this knowledge our prey will become that much easier to find."

"Heh heh heh! With the added bonus that this time if you fail you really will have no excuses!" Zaraki added on for his own amusement.

"What abilities did she posses?" Byakuya asked Hitsugaya, seemingly obvious to the agruement now going on to his side.

Hitsugaya quickly glanced through the sheets of paper before him and looked back towards Byakuya. "As far as I can tell she was in possession on no unique abilities. Her profile states that she had released her Zanpakuto's second form but other then that she had no special talents. However her control of reiatsu was far above average but by no mean exceptional. Her command of Kido rivalled that of a lieutenant."

"Her control over the years has become exceptional," Byakuya stated unemotionally as he raised his hand to his chin in thought. "She is able to conceal her reiatsu to such a point that she becomes indistinguishable from those around her, this most likely also allows her to detect things that most people would miss. It would make it very easy for her to avoid detection even in hostile situations."

"How could you possibly know that?" Zaraki asked in confusion.

"Its the obvious conclusion to a lot of things," Byakuya said and left it at that.

"But now that we know what kind of trick she's using to hide we can find her that much easier!" Mayuri added gleefully. "I think I have enough data on her ability to weaken its effects but you will still need to be within a certain distance of her or there's no point!"

"Then it is decided! Captain Soi Fon will lead her Assassination Squad to Karakura town and determine the location of former 5th seat Hakumei Suika and capture her. It is imperative that she not be killed however, she is useless to us dead if we are to gain insight into Aizen's goals. However, if escape seems likely you are ordered to kill her rather then let her escape."

"And if Kurosaki Ichigo interferes?" Soi Fon asked.

"You have permission to subdue his movements but not to kill him, he is still of use to us in the war against Aizen."

"Understood sir!" Soi Fon saluted and immediately took her place back in line.

"Dismissed!" Yamamoto roared and slammed the base of his stick onto the wooden floor.

With the matter decided the Captains began to leave the chamber at their own pace, some with the pace of those who had little to do and others like Soi Fon who were now in a great hurry. Ukitake stood silently by the exit and looked up into the clear blue sky in deep thought. It didn't make sense to him to act in this way. It was true that it looked like she was indeed in league with Aizen but there was no proof. But the guilt was still there eating away at him. She was just another person that they had failed to save and abandoned. "Things are starting to move fast but it doesn't feel right."

"You can feel it as well?" Shunsui replied casually from behind his friend, assuming that Ukitake was indeed not talking to himself. "Old man Yamamoto seems spooked by something. Did he know her or something?"

"Maybe. Do you remember her at all? I know its a lot to ask for something that happened over a hundred years ago."

Shunsui reached up and scratched his chin before shrugging his shoulders. "I think so, at least a little but only by appearance, I never once talked to her. She always seemed so nervous that I thought she might flee at the sight of me."

"That's understandable," Hitsugaya added on with no apparent malice.

"Oi oi that's cruel Toshiro-kun!" Shunsui said with a grin on his face.

"I can't deny I feel the same way. Considering that she did no real damage other to our pride General Yamamoto is willing to expend a lot of effort to capture her now. I wonder if he knows something that we don't, maybe something about her that would make her important to Aizen's plans."

"Old man Yamamoto is just being over cautious. Right now we have no idea what Aizen is planning and now were confronted by a person who may or may not be one of his allies from 100 years ago. You can't blame him for wanting her captured. He's just doing his best to protect everyone."

"Hakumei...Suika," Ukitake mused to himself a moment longer. Her face, her name, he was sure he knew it.

* * *

The Senkai gate opened almost silently, as requested by Captain Soi Fon as she lead her unit into the world of the living. With silent and deadly purpose her assassins and reconnaissance units dispersed into the area surrounding the gate, within moments the area was completely secure by unseen and unheard Shinigami. Each one knew his task to the letter and only waited for the order to move out.

A multitude of breaths were held as the last Shinigami emerged from the Senkai gate as it started to close straight behind them. Captain Soi Fon stopped and looked up into the dark early morning sky through a fine haze of early morning mist. The air smelt good to her and the mist provided them with a moment of advantage. She looked around the area, into the trees and towards the rooftops and nodded. No one was watching who could see.

"The whole of Karakura town is to be searched! There is a high probability that the infiltrator, most likely Hakumei Suika, a former Shinigami from squad 5 is still in the area. She is to be apprehended and returned to Soul Society to face trial!" Soi Fon was met by a wall of silence and smiled proudly. It was not the silence of an empty space but the silence of the unseen. An assassin appeared in the corner of her vision in the blink of an eye and kneeled without word. "Yes?"

"What of the substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Soi Fon would have punished him for needing his orders repeated but she understood that they were about to face a pontentially brutal opponant, it was only natural to reassure them

"If he interferes he is to be restrained. A suitable seal has already been prepared for the task and I will use it if necessary." Soi Fon walked forward a few paces and then stopped to look down at her hand. She had been practicing with a new seal technique she had been developing for just such a situation and was eager to test it in actually combat. Who better then a monster like Kurosaki Ichigo.

"And the girl? If she can not be captured?" The dark voice said from under his mask.

"Kill her."

"Understood."

"Begin the operation!" With that all the unseen figures spread out across the city, with Soi Fon seeking out the biggest obstacle first, Kurosaki Ichigo.

The wind blew over the opening, stirring the grass with barely a sound. Into the opening walked a curious black cat with a devious smile on its feline face. It looked around and was satisfied that it was alone now and lowered its guard. "This is bad," Yoruichi said to herself as she sat down and looked at the place where the Senkai gate had disappeared. It seemed that Yamamoto was finally ready to take things seriously. That would be troublesome.

Her ears twitched as she heard the sound of grass being stepped on lightly behind her and twisted her head slowly. At first she wondered if Soi Fon had finally managed to out maneuver her but her eyes narrowed as she found herself looking up into the eyes of a girl who was clearly an Arrancar. She would have reacted but the small Arrancar was far too close to her already and obviously had no intention of attacking.

At first it stared down at her with a stoic expression of disinterest but when Yoruichi failed to react back she broke out into a devious smile. "Your Yoruichi-sama I dare say," Yami said with a cheerful voice and her expression turned to a childlike smile that radiated malice. "Hiding in the body of a cat, I dare say, how shameless." Yami raised her long sleeves in front of he mouth as she spoke. "Can we talk?"


	26. The Burning Seal

_Twilight Marionette: Ahhhh I hate the summer, its far too warm, bring back the winter, bring back the cold!_

_Twilight Puppeteer: -sighs- And before it was its far too cold, I hate the winter, when will it be summer!_

_Twilight Marionette: I'm melting..._

_Twilight Puppeteer: And further into insanity she falls..._

_**Chapter 26: The Burning Seal**_

Akatsuki looked up at the ceiling and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She didn't remember too much of what happened after she left Ichigo's room and returned to her own but she came to the conclusion that she had fainted. Why else was she sleeping in the middle of the floor. Shortly after reality worked its way back into her mind the pain returned with it and she grasped her head as a migraine swept over her.

Her head was still feverish but at least it had relented a little now and she wasn't burning up. She tried to get up but for now her body seemed to like its place on the cool floor and she lacked the energy to convince it otherwise. The light shining through the window told her it was early morning and her stomach told her it was a little too early for breakfast. Then a more critical voice in her mind added that she normally had breakfast when most people had lunch.

Akatsuki groaned as another wave of pain traveled through her, only this time it was her chest rather then her head and it felt much worse. Feeling as if she would throw up at any moment she manged to pull herself together enough to get unsteadily to her feet. By then the feeling had passed once again and she cursed under her breath.

She slowly walked over to her bed and with little grace threw herself into its cool and soft embrace. She found herself staring up at the ceiling again and sighed. She might have fainted but by no means had she rested well last night. She had dreamed of that girl again. It was depressing since it hadn't happened it nearly 5 days before then. This time it felt as if the dream was trying to make up for all the lost time and she could remember every detail clearly, which in hindsight, she really wished she couldn't.

_She had been in some dark room this time, so dark that she could tell it was a room and not merely darkness by the virtue of a solitary but weak line of light on the floor. She guessed it had been the slit under a door but she had no way of moving to find out. Whatever was stopping her moving it was also keeping her upright, her back pressed firmly with no space against what felt like a metal table. Only this table seemed to be held up against a wall._

_She had tried to call out but found that once again her voice carried no sound and as she tried to reach up to her throat she realized that her hands were bound as well. That's when the panic had set in. Whatever it was that she was held against she was also completely bound to. She couldn't move her arms, her legs, her body, her neck or even her head. With the exception of her fingers and toes she couldn't move an inch._

_A sudden noise, like the noise of someone bumping hard into a door filled the room with a weak light that barely did anything to the gloom. She looked towards where the line of light had been to find that it was indeed a door, and now the door was open. She tried to ask who was there but her lips moved wordlessly. In fact, all that came from her mouth was a faint, unintelligible whisper._

_It was then she had the strangest sensation, it was the sensation of being watched by someone you can't see but who you know is there none the less. Her eyes opened wide in panic and she looked around what little field of vision she had with desperate eyes. With every passing second the dream was becoming more and more painful and she wanted it to stop. Her body was starting to feel as if it was being torn apart from the inside out._

_She blinked heavily to try and gain some control of this dream. It was almost laughable that someone like her had absolutely no power at all in her own dreams and it was not lost on her that the pain she felt was now very real indeed._

_It was then that she finally saw the girl who haunted her dreams. She was standing in the light of the open doorway, her figure silhouetted against the weak light which was too bright for Akatsuki's eyes to bare. Akatsuki was unable to do anything as the girl slowly crossed the space between them in what seemed like an eternity. The girl came to a stop just underneath Akatsuki and looked up at her with such intense, unblinking red eyes. In fact, it was the only details she could she in the unrelenting darkness._

_She looked into those red, uncaring eyes, full of neither anger or hate but also devoid of compassion of any kind. She saw her own reflection in them._

Akatsuki blinked heavily as the memory of the dream reworked its way through her head. She rested the back of her hand against her forehead and had to resist the urge to cry. She had seen herself in that girls' eyes and she wished she hadn't but she couldn't forget it no matter how hard she tried.

_She had been retrained by various straps and devices to a flat, metal medical type bed. She was covered in bruises and blood and instinctively knew it was her own. But that had not been the worst of it. The girl reflected in those eyes had the eyes of the insane, not the white hot insanity of the those pushed over the edge but rather the insanity of those who have not only been pushed over the edge but kept on falling. The girl reflected in those eyes was smiling._

"It didn't feel like a lie," she said quietly to herself as if she had just said something sinful. After dwelling on the subject for far too long she shook her head violently and in one motion forced herself upright in bed. "It was just a dream right, I mean, there's no way that was real, there's no way I'd forget something like that? Right?"

She looked out of the window and with determination threw the window open to the early morning air. "I'm not scared of you!" she shouted to the world in general. Only then did she look down. A surprised Chad was staring back up at her with his usual stoic expression, she might have been able convince herself that she had not just been seen doing that if it had not been for a solitary sweat drop working its way down his brow.

Chad found himself being confronted by an apparently angry Arrancar from her bedroom window. It might not have been so tense had it not been for the fact she seemed to be wearing nothing at all except for a pair of panties and and an unbuttoned white shirt. Only her long hair was keeping him from seeing certain things that would no doubt only make the situation far worse once she realized.

"Good morning," Chad said as neutrally as he could. Akatsuki looked back down at him in shock but her expression quickly lightened and she waved back down to him.

"Ah! Sado-san! Good morning! What are you doing here so early?" Akatsuki replied cheerfully and thought it best to pretend she hadn't just done that. As long as Chad played along it would all be fine. A devious smile crossed her lips and she hid her lower face behind her shirt sleeve. "Or are you here to see me?"

Chad had merely been jogging and for a change of route had decided to pass by the Kurosaki clinic. Things had been going down hill from that point on at a rather rapid pace. Was he supposed to mention that she almost naked or not? Maybe he was supposed to pretend that he hadn't seen anything or was he supposed to apologize? Before he could decide on the best course of action his mouth decided to take action all by itself. "That's a nice shirt," he said with perfect honesty.

Akatsuki sighed heavily. "That's all your gonna say huh?"

"Hmmm?"

"Never mind, I guess I should be grateful," Akatsuki said with a certain amount of annoyance in her voice. Though of course it was best if they both pretended nothing had just happened it was still a little annoying that Chad had not commented on her state of undress. A compliment would not have been ill received either. "Hmmmmm."

Chad was starting to feel uneasy, he was sure he had reacted in the best possible way and that in theory she should have taken it in the best possible way. He wondered if he made some kind of mistake but a voice in the back of his head was screaming at him to not do anything he would regret later. Akatsuki seemed to be in two minds about something and was almost glaring at him with dangerous looking eyes. It might been his imagination but her eyes were starting to take a dangerous glint.

"Are you feeling OK? You look a little pale?" he finally decided on and watched as her expression remained carefully unchanged.

"That's really all your going to say isn't it Sado-san?" Akatsuki sighed as she spoke, her eyes narrowing as they remained locked on Chad. A little compliment would be almost appropriate after seeing a girl naked she thought, it fact, it was almost required. Chad was really starting to look ill at ease and she decided to have mercy on him. She smiled back him cutely and wrapped her hair completely around her body, faking embarrassment as she did so. At least he had enough sense to not look relieved.

* * *

"Heeeeeeh your really good at this!" Akatsuki said wryly and grinned. Chad responded with a small, almost indiscernible nod, obvious or unconcerned with any implication she was trying to put forward. "You've done this before huh?"

Chad carried on walking, unconcerned with either Akatsuki's weight on his back or the odd look or two he got from people he passed by. Akatsuki had been riding on his back for a good while now and he might have been annoyed by it if his personality wasn't the way it was. Besides, it wasn't too much of a hassle since she was far lighter then her height suggested. It was like carrying a child on his back. "Its nothing, your not very heavy at all."

Akatsuki looked at the back of his head critically and tried decide whether he was being a smart ass or if it was a compliment. Akatsuki smiled cheerfully as she realized it was probably neither, it was just something Chad would say in a situation like this. "Awww how sweet of you Sado-san, if you keep this up I may start to blush, whatever will Ichigo say if he finds out that your trying to make moves on his most precious and cute guest," Akatsuki replied with only the smallest hint of sarcasm.

Chad twisted his head to look back at her cheerful expression and decided he had imagined the sarcasm. He was aware that talking to people casually was not his strongest talent and it was nice that she wasn't pointing out his awkward compliment. Unsure of how to respond he settled with something that seemed safe. "Its not the kind of thing Ichigo would worry about so don't worry about it."

Akatsuki looked up over his head and cocked her head on its side as she thought very carefully. She reached down absently and placed some hair in her mouth and sucked on it until she nodded to herself, having reached a decision. She knew what he meant but she knew she couldn't help herself either, it was like when Ichigo had walked in on her as she was putting clothes on, sometimes you just had to tease. "So you think I'm cute huh?" Akatsuki said innocently and let her head slide down so that they were cheek to cheek. To his credit he didn't react much but she could tell he had just gone tense.

Chad understood his mistake now and realized that Akatsuki would take anything he said literally and anything he didn't say as a cue. Chad was also the kind of person who was honest when there was no need to lie. "Your not my type, but you are cute yes."

"Heeeeh?" Akatsuki was taken aback and lifted her head away from him and placed the hair back in her mouth quickly. Something was wrong here and she couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. She now wished her experience with men and the things they said extended to more then the Espada and Aizen. Chad didn't fall into any category she knew how to read well. "Um-mm, thank you Sado-san."

"Your welcome."

He was far less emotion then Ichigo and Akatsuki found herself tempted to read his emotions. It was so very tempting that she had to shake her head to dispel the idea. She smiled to herself and sighed. "Of course your not serious, that's not the kind of person you are right?"

"I was telling the truth," Chad replied plainly as he carried on walking up the street.

"Seriously!" Akatsuki replied in shock and hid her mouth behind her sleeve. Despite herself she blushed. She stared down at the back of his head with enough concentration to burn a hole though steel.

_'This is a very good day for you huh?' _Hakumei said in the back of her mind and Akatsuki went rigid. She was about to have a serious talk with Chad about this when another thought occurred. So he was that kind of guy.

"Never mind, you meant it that way huh?" Akatsuki said evilly to herself. She looked away with a look of annoyed embarrassment and sighed heavily.

"Whats wrong?"

"Nothing at all!"

That sounded like a lie to Chad but he had a feeling he was involved in whatever internal evilness was going through her mind and thought better of asking anymore.

* * *

Soi Fon nodded as the report came in loud and clear in her earpiece. The target had been not been located yet but that was not exactly bad news. Soi Fon now knew at least where she wasn't and one of those places was with Kurosaki Ichigo. She knew that because she been following him since he had left his home, alone. A quick sweep of the premises had revealed enough evidence to show that a Arrancar had indeed been living there but for what purpose she couldn't begin to fathom. She wondered what kind of deception she was using on Ichigo.

She jumped across, completely silently, to another rooftop and stood looming over the edge to watch as Ichigo carried on with no realization that he was being followed. She raised her left hand and looked at it intently for a moment. She would of liked to have believed that Ichigo was being deceived and manipulated by Hakumei Suika as this was the kind of tactic she herself would use to deal with such a powerful threat. However she was also not the kind of person to be swayed by emotion or something so unreliable as gut instinct.

Watching him go about his business with no worries in the world did nothing to lighten her resolve. Whether he was being used against his knowledge or will, or whether he was fully aware of what he was dealing with were irrelevant. Either way he might very well end up turning that monstrous power of his against her. She had no choice but to use the seal.

The seal, she had worked on it for a long time, a seal designed to completely block a Shinigami's power from being released. Such seals already existed and on her body she wore one very similar. However, those seals were designed to limit the power a Shinigami released, not to prevent the powers release in the first place. It wouldn't hold for too long but it would hold more then long enough.

Ichigo was worried. Akatsuki was nowhere to be seen and he was starting to get a little uneasy about it. It wasn't like she didn't disappear all the time normally and it had nothing to do with him being close to her, after all, it wasn't like he needed her to stay close to him all of the time. It was annoying. He stopped for a moment and surveyed the roof ledge but found them all devoid of an annoying Arrancar with ridiculously long hair. Not that he was worried or anything.

"She could at least tell me when she's sneaking out!" he mumbled loudly to himself, realizing as he said it just how stupid it sounded. He had to remember that eventually Akatsuki planned to return to Hueco Mundo, it wasn't like she had any reason to stay here with him, it wasn't like she had anything binding her here. But she wasn't the kind of person who would leave without a fuss and he had promised to look after her until the day she could leave on her own.

Ichigo carried on walking but now in a less hurried manner. It wasn't that he wasn't worried about her but there was still a bad feeling in his stomach. It was feeling that was making him feel angry and worried at the same time. His inner Hollow was perfectly still and quiet. Usually Ichigo would have been grateful for this but right now it just made him feel like he was in the eye of a storm. His instincts were screaming at him that something was about to happen.

People moved towards and away from him as they walked by the almost stationary Ichigo. People seemed to blur into mere gray shadows as they moved about him. It was like he was trying to see something that wasn't there. Had his senses been able to focus he might have noticed the black haired woman walking towards him with her head bowed out of view. Time seemed to slow even more as she passed by his side, her hand gently blushing over his chest. His senses snapped back with full force and he spun his body around but found that he was alone among the crowd once again.

He reached down and felt his chest but nothing seemed to be wrong and he wondered if he had imagined it. He turned around with the intention of breaking out into a jog but froze immediately and his eyes focused with grim realization. He was now very much alone in the road, any and all people had mysteriously vanished from sight and he was now left alone in the center of a group of dark blue chad Shinigami wearing familiar looking face masks.

"What the," Ichigo started to say but was cut off as the closest man to him raised his hand to silence him. His attitude was hostile but not aggressive and Ichigo knew at once what was going to happen.

* * *

Rukia had heard of the deployment far too late and was making haste towards the nearest viable Senkai gate when a figure in a large, billowing white coat stood out into her path. She stopped hurriedly and for a moment raised her guard before lowering it quickly on realization that it was her own captain. She took a step back out of both respect and weariness. "Captain Ukitake."

"Rukia-san, please wait, I know where you would go and what you would do and I can't let you interfere," Jushiro said kindly even though he spoke with complete authority.

"Captain?" Rukia mouthed, unsure of her next actions. She didn't care a great deal about protecting Akatsuki, at least, not as much as Ichigo did and that was the problem. She had to stop Ichigo from getting hurt or hurting the others.

"Rukia please, follow this one order if not any others, do not interfere. A mandate has been given that the suspected Vizard Hakumei Suika is to be brought in for questioning immediately in regards to events one hundred years ago. There's no reason for anyone to die today."

Rukia was about to protest but her mind caught up with her mouth and changed the words that were trying to be spoken. "Vizard?"

"Is that not right Rukia?" Ukitake asked in a way which made it perfectly clear that he knew she knew a lot more then most people here about the one who was once called Suika. His words retained the kind concern even in a situation such as this and Rukia was gratefully for having such a kind Captain. If only she could explain things away so easily as she wanted to. "It is Hakumei Suika isn't it? She is a Vizard in Ichigo's care is she not? Anything you tell me now can be used to help her Rukia, I know you trust me so trust my words. If I can I want to help her but I can't if you don't tell me."

Rukia was uncertain but it wasn't like she had many options open to her right now. If her Captain wanted to he could easily stop her movement. He was giving her a chance that he didn't have to give. "Her name isn't Hakumei Suika, its Akatsuki. And she's not a Vizard. She really is a Hollow."

"I see," Ukitake said in all seriousness.

* * *

"Blast!" Akatsuki sat up straight and looked around quickly, her wide eyes scanning the people around them for the cause of the disturbance. It had run across her senses like a breeze on a hot, still summer day.

Akatsuki looked down at Chad as he carried her along in perfect nonchalance, making it obvious he had felt nothing at all. Now that she was alert she concentrated her senses in all directions, intangible waves of spiritual energy were all over the town and slowly surrounding her. "Damn it, useless gigai," Akatsuki growled to herself which caught Chads attention.

"Whats wrong Akatsuki-san," Chad said as he turned his head to look up at her face. She didn't seem to hear him and was turning her head all over at speed, as if she was trying to watch dozens of things at the same time. The look in her eyes was a mixture of anger and frustration. The longer he stared the more it felt like he was being stared back at by another pair of eyes hidden deep inside hers, red and cold as steel and just as focused. "You OK?"

The sound of Chads voice snapped her out of her frantic soul searching and she looked down at the person she completely forgot she had been riding. She regarded him with a focused expression for a moment as she decided what to do next. Then she smiled and closed her eyes. "Are you really worried about me?"

Chad was about to reply in the affirmative but was put off by the look in her eyes, it wasn't cold or harsh but it seemed defensive. It was like he was being summed up or judged. It was not entirely pleasant. "That depends if I should be I suppose," Chad replied carefully and stopped walking. It hadn't occurred to him before but there were suddenly a lot fewer people on the streets then there had been before.

"Ah! A good answer!" Akatsuki replied cheerfully and waved her hand about and looked away from him with a devious expression. Before Chad could reply she slipped herself off of his back and with the grace of a snake slipped by and in front of him so that she was looking up into his face. She considered him for a another moment and then visibly relaxed.

Akatsuki closed her eyes and smiled innocent at Chad who stared back stoically. "What is it?" Chad asked curiously, wondering if he had said something to suddenly gain such intense interest. Akatsuki grabbed hold of her long red hair and started twiddling some strands between her fingers.

"Its nothing at all," Akatsuki's voice echoed kindly as Chad found himself suddenly staring at a empty space where only moments before he had been sure he was looking at Akatsuki. He looked around slightly frantic and wondered where she had disappeared too but the feeling was quickly replaced by an overwhelming feeling of tiredness. His eyes closed and his huge body fell forwards.

Akatsuki caught the heavy body as it sagged forwards towards her and gently rested it against the nearest wall. Her eyes glowed a vibrant red as she considered Chad for another moment longer before turning away from him and started to walk away. She turned around to face him one more time before running off, her long red hair flowing behind her like water.

On Chad's chest was a note on a piece of paper tucked into his breast pocket, it read simply; "Forgive me" with a happy face drawn next to it and a hand making the V sign. Against his body lay Akatsuki's gigai.

* * *

"Kurosaki Ichigo, for the duration of this operation we request that you remain uninvolved," the nearest squad member to Ichigo said with his hands placed firmly behind his back as to appear as non hostile as possible. The effect was ruined by the rest of his team who were all ready to draw their weapons.

"Who ordered this! On who's authority!" Ichigo shot his arm out in a wide arc and clenched his fist as he almost shouted the question. It was plainly obvious what was happening, Soul Society had finally decided to act on the whole Infiltrator issue. It had taken them a while but now it seemed that they were serious. He gritted his teeth in frustration. "Get out of my way!"

"We cannot do that Kurosaki Ichigo, General Yamamoto Genryusai's orders are absolute, please, do not resist," the shinigami replied in a calm and reasonable tone.

"Heh," Ichigo laughed quietly and appeared to outwardly relax. The surrounding Shinigami were far too weary however and reminded on alert. As one they all tensed as Ichigo slowly reached into his coat and slowly but purposefully removed the device Ukitake had given him for just such an occasion. "Then I'll just push on through you!"

* * *

Akatsuki glanced from left to right as she ran down the streets of Karakura town. Her eyes glowed red as she reached out with her senses. All around her she could feel the pulses of spiritual beings that were trying to hide their spiritual pressure and a fair amount of beings that weren't, which was strange. If they were trying to catch her by surprise why had they sent people out with no sense of stealth, to Akatsuki it didn't make much sense. At least the obvious spiritual pressure's were stationary around a single point a good distance away.

Behind her her large black scythe trailed through the air with no discernible sound at all. Normally she was loath to resort to violence straight away but if she was caught without a weapon this time there would be no second chances like with Ikkaku. The black scythe's razor thin edge glinted in the morning light, leaving a black and red trail in the air as it passed.

"Shinigami huh," Akatsuki mumbled under her breath without taking time to pause. If she really had been the one who breached the Seireitei then it was always a likely possibility that they would come looking for her eventually. Not that they hadn't before but this time they were moving with resolve. And the way they were moving suggested a purpose which only now she realized.

Akatsuki came to a rapid halt and spun around in a wide arc with her weapon, coming to stop in the center of a large open area which she vaguely recognized as the park but she was not concerned about that. She held Hakumei up with both hands in front of her defensively and closed her eyes. She was being herded she now realized, the way everyone was moving suggested they didn't know where she was, but it also suggested that they knew in fact where she wasn't and that meant they could guess where she was. All around her now were spiritual presences which were so well hidden that only now did she feel them, she was surrounded.

"How cowardly! Should a captain really by hiding in the shadows like that? Its shameful!" Akatsuki shouted as her eyes darted from tree to tree, waiting for even a minor rustle or movement. She thought that her bluff had failed until she felt movement behind her and cursed to herself as she spun around. Her scythe was struck with great force as a kick came crashing down into the center of the shaft, her opponent had been aiming straight for her head, that told her a lot about her opponent. She wasn't going to give her any chances.

"Heeeeeeh! I didn't know you really were there Shinigami-sama, I mean, I was just guessing," Akatsuki said with a sarcastic ring to her voice. Her assailant spun away backwards using her scythe as a surface to kick away from. Soi Fon landed a good distance away in a totally relaxed manner, raising neither her guard nor attacking again. Akatsuki felt herself losing her nerve under that woman's stern gaze, she was being judged and she could tell from the look on her face that she was being completely disregarded.

"Your senses are worthy of praise, very few people can sense the movements of my unit or myself included. However, such powerful senses can be easily confused and manipulated. We knew you would sense us before we came close enough to sense you, we were not so arrogant to assume otherwise. Knowing that it was easy enough to control your movements long enough to surround you." Soi Fon walked closer to towards her and stopped when Akatsuki tightened her grip on her Zanpakuto. The longer she looked at Akatsuki the more obvious it became that her and Hakumei Suika were the same person. And something about the large scarf she wore around her neck was starting to bother her, it was obviously hiding something. "You are under arrest for Treason! Do not resist and come with us peacefully or we will be forced to use deadly force!"

Akatsuki's serious expression failed. She released her grip on Hakumei and let the blade fall towards the ground. She pulled some of her hair towards her mouth and started to suck on it while regarding Soi Fon with a serious though questioning stare. Soi Fon to her credit didn't react one way or the other but Akatsuki wasn't paying too much attention. Soi Fon could feel it as well, Akatsuki wasn't staring at her, rather at a point sseveral feet behind her, she was being ignored. "Who?" Akatsuki finally replied with innocent curiosity.

"What?" Soi Fon replied incredulously. She wasn't sure what Akatsuki meant but she was assuming she was being mocked in some way. "Don't try to deny it, we know who you are now Hakumei Suika so you can drop the act."

"Heh! Me? My name's not Suika, I've never even met anyone named Suika, I'm Akatsuki," Akatsuki replied honestly, her face still half hidden by the hair she was now twiddling between her fingers.

Soi Fon's expression remained calm but her opponents cheerfully innocent tone of voice was grating on her nerves. "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, a traitor will be a traitor to the very end, I suppose its naive to think you would be honest now. No matter, my orders remain the same. Prepare yourself."

"No wait wait wait I'm serious, I have no idea what you talking about!" Akatsuki waved an arm frantically as Soi Fon turned and started to walk away. Akatsuki was about to run up behind her when Soi Fon suddenly raised her arm into the air and clicked her fingers. Around Akatsuki 5 figures appeared, all holding their hands together in exactly the same way. Before she had time to react they all shouted the same command in unison. The floor seemed to fall away from Akatsuki as all around her a bright pink light exploded up around her.

* * *

Ichigo slammed the seal against his chest to draw his spiritual form free, after a moment of confusion a kick exploded against his hand and another into his chest, slamming the charm out of his hand. Ichigo watched as the the Shinigami charm fell away from him as he flew backwards into the ground. He hit the ground hard and rolled but pulled himself to his feet before coming to a stop. "Why?"

The Shinigami who had kicked him walked over to the charm and picked it casually, regarded it for a moment and then slipped it inside of his coat. "Please do not resist Kurosaki Ichigo. We are authorized to subdue you if you do, so please do not force our hands."

Ichigo glared at the Shinigami and pointed accusingly towards him. "What the hell did you do to me! Why can't I release my spiritual form?" More Shinigami appeared behind the stealth corps speaker and he knew that some would have appeared behind him and to his sides as well.

"Your spiritual form has been sealed temporarily Kurosaki Ichigo, it is for your own safety."

"Don't give me that crap! Your after Akatsuki aren't you!" Ichigo shouted accusingly.

"Please, do not interfere Kurosaki Ichigo." The speaker turned and walked into the others surrounding Ichigo, instantly becoming one of many indistinguishable foes.

"Your gonna give that back right?" Ichigo said threateningly, his body seemingly relaxing despite the situation he was in. He pointed at the group of Shinigami before him and smiled confidently. "If not I'll take it back! And then I'll break this seal and stop you!" Taking advantage of Ichigo's posturing a Shinigami launched himself towards Ichigo's side with the intention of restraining him. Ichigo sensed the first attack coming and the Shinigami found himself being thrown backwards by a powerful kick. Ichigo grinned.

Deep inside his soul Hollow Ichigo grinned as well.

* * *

"Be still and silent," Soi Fon said quietly as the sealing demon art exploded all around Akatsuki in a painfully hot pink light. She was about to turn when instinct told her to turn around, her reflexes barely able to command her body in time to leap to the side as the black scythe whipped silently through the air, its blade cutting a deadly path past the point her head had been in moments before.

Soi Fon whipped herself around to see the scythe slam into the ground blade first with a huge explosion of force that sent all of her men near it flying to the sides. Soi Fon heard the sound of bodies hitting the ground behind her and span around on the spot and lunged towards where Akatsuki had been sealed. As she moved through the air she was aware of another flying past her, her eyes turning to see Akatsuki stepping past her at the same speed. "Damn it!"

Soi Fon skidded on the ground and rapidly gave chase, her speed was greater then Akatsuki's and she was upon her momentarily. Soi Fon cut down with her hand towards the back of Akatsuki's back. Her eyes opened wide as the side of her hand came into contact with the cold, hard metal of Akatsuki's Zanpakuto. Akatsuki's golden eyes met Soi Fon's and both smiled at the other, Soi Fon smiling with renewed interest, Akatsuki with cheerful innocence.

* * *

"Gahhh!" Ichigo grunted as another Shinigami slammed an indirect hit past his shoulder only to be followed by another strike from a Shinigami behind him. The force sent him to his knees for a moment before he forced himself to his feet and slammed his body hard into the Shinigami behind him. The two of them rolled but the Shinigami had had the wind knocked out of him and Ichigo pushed himself off of his body and started to run again down the road.

Ichigo's heart was beating heavily in his chest and he reached up to his breast, his fingers tracing the faint outline of what he guessed was some kind of seal. In was cold and weak to the touch but he could feel it burning away inside him now as he tried harder and harder to use his shinigami powers. It felt like a hand enclosed around his soul.

His instincts told him another Shinigami had caught up to him and he span around just in time to catch his assailant in the side of the face with a crude but effective kick. Another two were already upon him and he managed to punch another one before the other caught him under the ribs with a accurate and fast kick.

The air was forced out of Ichigo's lungs as the lick landed, he gasped for air and by time he had manged to regain his bearing a second kick caught him across the side of face, knocked off guard he found himself completely open and was hit by a third kick to the center of his chest, the force sending him flying backwards into the nearest wall. Plaster and stone fell around him as his body slammed into the wall with crushing force. He slummed backwards into a sitting position and he found himself surrounded by the stealth corp members once again.

The Shinigami kept their distance but remained on guard, they had been given orders that under no circumstances were they allowed to let Ichigo interfere with the operation but their orders also told them that Ichigo was not to be killed. Of course subduing him was fine. With the seal in effect he was just an interfering human.

Ichigo caught his breath and looked up into their eyes, they were calculating and cold and he remembered that these guys were professionals. With the seal on his powers in effect they could have killed him at any time they felt like. His instincts were still working but there was no way his body could keep up with them. Ichigo grinned at them as he pushed his way to his feet. "I promised her, I promised her that as long as she was here I would protect her. I won't let, I won't let you."

Deep inside his soul Hollow Ichigo broke out into a grin. He had found a way in again, whatever was happening to the female Hollow that annoyed him so much it was breaking down the barriers that she had reinforced Ichigo's mind with. He had found a key. All he had to do was twist it in the lock.

Ichigo stumbled forward into a run but was instantly slammed back into the wall as the closest Shinigami grabbed him by the neck. Ichigo's body seemed to relax in his hands. Ichigo looked back up into his eyes and the Shinigami felt the breath leave his body under the stare of those cold, malice filled yellow eyes. Ichigo broke out into a manic smile. "I won't let you make me brake my promise!"

"What the?" The shinigami managed to say and without thinking went to attack Ichigo's chest to wind him again. Before he had even started to move Ichigo had reached up and grabbed his wrist, his other hand punching heavily into his arm just behind the hold. Blood was sent flying as the bone was shattered through his skin. The Shinigami fell away screaming, grasping at his arm, over top of his slummed figure another three Shinigami launched themselves towards Ichigo to catch him off guard.

"I won't let you!" Ichigo half roared, half screamed, with a sound that was not one or the other but two voices coming together as one.

* * *

"Oh no!" Soi Fon exclaimed as she jumped out of range of another wide swing of the scythe, coming to a stop a safe distance away from Akatsuki. It was a good distance away but she could feel it, the seal was crumbling. "He's forcing the seal, that's not possible, no Shinigami has so much power in the world of the living."

Akatsuki wasted no time and flashed towards Soi Fon, reappearing mere feet in front of her, with her scythe held above her with two hands she slammed down hard, the scythe cutting into the ground with a sickening crunch.

Red and black energy trails jumped from the blade to the ground excitedly. Akatsuki stood upright and let the scythe fall to the ground as she reached her right hand from its grip. She reached up to her chest and took the fabric of her scarf into her hand. She smiled warmly as she held onto it and closed her eyes. "He's such a idiot," Akatsuki said kindly and sighed.

Soi Fon walked through the clearing dust of the small crater completely unharmed and considered Akatsuki for a moment. She wasn't an expert on such things but there was something about the way that had sounded and the look on her face as she had said it. Soi Fon now decided she understood enough. "Your in love with him?" Soi Fon said not unkindly.

Akatsuki turned on her with a panicked look and waved her free arm about frantically in denial. "No, no no no that's not it, that's not it at all! Your completely wrong Shinigami-sama!" Akatsuki pleaded in frantic, overwhelmed tones.

"Well that's fine I guess, it doesn't really change anything. He won't make it here you know, no matter how much he fights against the seal. He might be able to break the seal with his own power alone but by then it will be too late. You will already have been defeated!" Soi Fon launched herself high into the air, coming down towards Akatsuki with a spinning kick.

"Wait wait wait!" Akatsuki cried out in annoyance.

* * *

"Wahahahah!" Hollow Ichigo roared in delight as he swiped away another Shinigami who had tried to approach him from behind. He had never taken control of Ichigo's living body before and the effect was disorientating but manageable. He was able to push this body well beyond its human limitations.

The Shinigami who were now being pushed into the defensive by Ichigo watched in mounting horror as Ichigo's skin turned a pallid shade of white along with his hair, his eyes were now completely black and yellow. Only his clothes remained the same but that was not much of a comfort, it wasn't the clothes that were trying to kill them.

Hollow Ichigo reached up to his chest and grabbed the top of his shirt before ripping it off in one clean motion revealing the seal over his heart. He looked down on it in both amusement and annoyance. It amused him that someone had gone so far as to seal Ichigo's power but the seal was surprisingly strong, even for him to break. His power was leaking through but the seal still held.

Suddenly a sharp pain burned its way into to the back of his shoulder and he looked around with an evil expression. A short sword was buried in his shoulder by a Shinigami who was visibly shaking on the other end. Hollow Ichigo grinned at him and the man fell away from his weapon. With no apparent care for the pain Hollow Ichigo reached over to the hilt and ripped the blade free. The wound steamed as it rapidly healed moments after withdrawing the blade. The blade clattered as he dropped it to the ground.

Hollow Ichigo looked around himself and smiled maliciously. Though obviously an unplanned attack the rest of the stealth corp had gathered around him and all stood in exactly the same pose, their fingers held together in what Hollow Ichigo guessed was some kind of Demon art seal. He started to laugh to himself hysterically and lunged towards the nearest man with almost Shinigami like speed.

Just before his out stretched fingers reached the mans throat he felt a huge pressure bear down on his body, forcing him to stop and take a few steps backwards. "Heh! Persistent bastards!" he screamed as he tried to lunge at them again but was forced back with even more force then the first time. "So, the seal can be reinforced from the outside huh?" he said casually even as he felt his body started to slump forwards. At this rate Ichigo was going to gain control back without even trying. Hollow Ichigo snarled.

Hollow Ichigo stared into the eyes of the man directly in front of him. His face was a mask of concentration and fear. Hollow Ichigo saw movement in the mans eyes and grinned.


	27. Chapter 27: The Broken Scythe

_**Chapter 27: The Broken Scythe**_

"Wait wait wait!" Akatsuki wailed in annoyance as she dodged blow after blow that Soi Fon rained down on her. "I'm telling you that's not right!"

Soi Fon grinned as she saw an opening past the scythe's defense and attacked it without hesitation, her legs arching towards Akatsuki's exposed side. However again Akatsuki saw the attack coming and was able to roll out of its way. Soi Fon gave her no quarter and jumped towards her before she had even finished rolling, her heel slamming into the place where Akatsuki's shoulder should her been.

Soi Fon quickly looked up to find Akatsuki falling towards her from the sky with yet another crushing scythe blow. Soi Fon jumped clear of the attack just as it turned the floor around it into shattered earth. The attack itself was rather slow and crude but she did not doubt its destructive power, one direct hit would probably defeat her outright. And her speed was troubling but her fighting spirit seemed far too weak.

Akatsuki looked up sharply towards Soi Fon as she brought her body back into an upright position. Soi Fon expected her to step straight into another attack and raised her guard in mid air to counter it.

Soi Fon gritted her teeth as too late she realized that she had made a mistake. Akatsuki drew her scythe behind her in a huge arc and gathered Cero energy around the blade, then in one powerful sweep she attacked.

"Claw Cyclone!" Akatsuki yelled as she sliced towards Soi Fon. As the blade moved through the air it generated a harsh screaming sound which was all but deafening to all but the user, red and black Cero energy screamed from the blades surface and raced towards Soi Fon in three different directions.

"Shit," Soi Fon said as she quickly realized that all three of the spinning Cero blades were all homing in on her. At the speed they were moving she had no way of outrunning them and she didn't have the kind of techniques that could be used to bloke them at such short notice. "No choice then," Soi Fon said under her breath as she felt her feet touch the ground.

Without even stopping to take a breath Soi Fon ran towards Akatsuki with no hesitation. Time felt like it was slowing to a standstill as all blades of Cero energy converged on her but Soi Fon's determination didn't waver, either she broke through or she didn't.

Akatsuki watched in admiration as Soi Fon charged straight for her. At first she wondered what Soi Fon hoped to accomplish by such a dangerous act but quickly realized what her intentions were. It was true enough, it was very hard to out maneuver the Claw Cyclones once they were all locked onto you and you needed a large, broad weapon to block the majority of the damage. But you could outrun them by charging straight towards them, if you could get past them before they reached you they would cut straight into the ground behind you.

Soi Fon felt the tips of the rapidly rotating blades cut into her shoulder and thigh as they whirred past her into the ground, a sharp, burning sensation that made her cringe despite herself. Dust exploded into the air and Soi Fon charged out of it towards Akatsuki's last known position. However Akatsuki was not there. Soi Fon's instincts made her turn her head while she was still moving as a blur behind her quickly materialized into Akatsuki, her scythe held behind her ready to slice into Soi Fon's back.

Soi Fon quickly twisted her body in mid air as Akatsuki started to swing her blade forward. Soi Fon readied herself for the attack. A split second later another Akatsuki appeared where she had been when Soi Fon had aimed for her, her weapon still in the middle of its swing. Soi Fon was still facing her after image as both images attacked in one, perfectly timed motion.

Soi Fon grinned and pointed her finger towards the image behind her. "White Lightning!"

* * *

Hollow Ichigo watched with glee as a small figure dressed in white descended towards the witless Shinigami ranks. She landed heavily onto the nearest Shinigami's shoulders with her knees and gripped tight, then in a series of motions twisted his body so that it was sent spinning into the air behind her. She was still falling back towards the ground when she brought her small body around full circle and caught the nearest three Shinigami in a explosive circular kick.

Before her feet had even touched the ground Hollow Ichigo felt the strength of the seal fail again and instantly launched himself into the Shinigami in front of him, who still in the process of reacting to the attack going on behind them had no way of defending themselves. Hollow Ichigo came to a stop a few moments later with his guard raised half hardheartedly. Behind him the small girl landed behind him in a seemingly relaxed manner.

The stealth corp quickly recovered and gathered around them. Hollow Ichigo dropped his guard and stood relaxed, back to back with the one Ichigo vaguely knew was called Yami. Yami leaned her back against his and in a unperturbed manner brushed her fingers through her hair and flicked it outwards. Her determined eyes however darted from Shinigami to Shinigami. Hollow Ichigo grinned maliciously at the nearest Shinigami's.

"What do you want?" he said harshly over his shoulder to his would be rescuer. It was a little annoying to be bailed out but he was also aware that it wasn't done for his or Ichigo's benefit. That intrigued him enough to play along.

"Your not doing so well I dare say Kurosaki Ichigo," Yami said sarcastically. She felt his back muscles tense slightly at the name but she lacked any other name to refer to him by.

Hollow Ichigo let the name slide and turned his head slightly to look back down on her. She really was small compared to him, in fact he felt he could snap her neck like a twig but that wouldn't be any fun. "Heh! What business is it of yours!"

Yami flashed from Hollow Ichigo's back, causing him to stumble slightly due to the weight he was resting against her. Before he could make this body of flesh and blood react she appeared in front of him, her hair still moving in the direction she had been. He grimaced as he realized that Ichigo's living body wasn't fast enough to deal with a real opponent like this Arrancar girl. He tried to grab towards her but her hand was far quicker.

Yami's hand cut into Ichigo's body, straight into the center of his chest and out of the other side. However rather then blood the sides of both wounds were covered by a flame like green light which burned lazily. Hollow Ichigo felt his body become paralyzed and he looked down at her with abject anger. The Shinigami still kept their distance, Ichigo's apparent savior had now appeared to turn on him but they kept their guards up none the less, the Arrancar were still the enemy.

"What the?" Hollow Ichigo said in two voices as Ichigo's original voice blended into Hollow Ichigo's, causing a echoing effect. Yami looked back up at him with no fear or concern, in fact she looked determined and angry.

"Will you keep your promise?" Yami asked stoically.

At first Hollow Ichigo was confused but he quickly remembered what Ichigo had said on more then one occasion. He considered trying to deceive her but realized that in such a unfamiliar body and with Ichigo's voice bleeding through he would easily betray himself. "Why would I protect her for you? Why don't you do it yourself? If you could you would do right? Or maybe its that you can't?" Hollow Ichigo's echoing voice said with arrogant conviction.

Yami looked down and smiled with satisfaction. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Huh? I never promised to-!"

"I'm not talking to you," Yami replied with a evil smile and before Hollow Ichigo had time to react she launched her hand into his chest and into the seal, she clenched her fist and pulled.

* * *

Akatsuki's eyes opened wide as all before her became a searing white inferno of light. The explosive force sent Akatsuki's body spinning limply through the air until it came to an abrupt stop as it hit the ground with a sickening thud. The scythe slammed into the ground blade first a good distance away.

Soi Fon regarded her carefully for a few moments before assuming the attack had defeated her. In truth she had had to tone down the power of the attack to ensure that Akatsuki survived the hit. But even so the amount of damage at such close range would have been overwhelming. She started to to walk over to the unmoving Akatsuki.

"Damn it," Akatsuki mumbled to her self as she managed to push herself unsteadily to her feet where she stood with her side exposed to Soi Fon, her hand on her head.

"What the-" Soi Fon started to say as she now realized that Akatsuki's hair had started to change color. Her long pale red hair was starting to change to a vibrant gold on the side facing her.

"I'm sorry but not this time, this time I can't help you, its something that has to happen," Akatsuki appeared to be saying to herself in two different voices. Soi Fon recognised the first voice as the girl she had been fighting a moment ago, however the second voice had a far more confident tone to it. Soi Fon didn't wait for an explanation and charged straight towards her exposed side, her body spinning to release a kick.

Akatsuki came to her senses at the last moment and barely managed to step out of the way, Soi Fon's foot inches from her chest. With out looking back Akatsuki ran to her Zanpakuto and picked it up before turning to face her relentless opponent. She had felt Hakumei presence enter her the moment that bright light exploded into her but already she had left her. She couldn't help, she had said it so coldly. Akatsuki didn't understand. Even with Hakumei in her hand she suddenly felt so alone. She felt abandoned. Her hands failed her and Hakumei clattered to the ground heavily.

"It that all Arrancar! Is that all you've got traitor!" Soi Fon shouted as she launched into a dropping kick from above Akatsuki. Her kick landed heavily as Akatsuki raised both her arms up in defense completely stopping her momentum and flipped herself away before Akatsuki realized she could easily counter from such a position. Soi Fon landed several meters away and stood ready, her posture and stance still in perfect form. The traitors arms barely moved when she blocked despite the look of strain of her face. No where in her files did it mention that she had experience as a hand to hand fighter.

But the look on her face made her grin. She was panting terribly fast and hard now. Even though Soi Fon's attack had technically been blocked she had still taken a huge amount of damage. _'So she's just trying to stop the worst of it huh? There's no way she can win like this, I'll finish this up now. Without her weapon she can only defend.'_ Soi Fon launched herself towards Akatsuki and launched into a series of powerful, accurate kicks, spinning kicks and punches.

Akatsuki was still able to block each and every attack but that was fine with Soi Fon. Whether she blocked or not she was weakening with every blow. Each time her arms fell a little more after each kick. Akatsuki's face winched in pain with each and every attack that she blocked.

"You may be good enough to block my attacks but with a body as weak as that you can't hold on for long. Without your weapon your just buying time! There's no point! Kurosaki Ichigo's powers have been sealed away long enough for us to capture you. There's no one coming to save you!" Soi Fon roared as she kicked down hard. Her eyes narrowed as the opening appeared. Akatsuki's block had been broken completely by the downward force and Soi Fon immediately kicked through the opening, the force sending Akatsuki flying backwards.

Akatsuki felt the air forced out of her lungs as the kick exploded into her defenseless stomach. Time seemed to slow for a moment as was sent flying backwards. She watched helplessly as Soi Fon flashed towards her. She tried to guard but her arms were on fire with pain and wouldn't responded. She winched just before the kick hit her square in the chest. Akatsuki cried out in pain as time seemed to return and everything accelerated again as she was sent slamming into the ground and rolled until she came to a stop. Her body started to feel numb as she lay on her front and watched with one weak eye as Soi Fon stopped and walked over towards her.

"That's it then huh? Hardly worth all the effort," Soi Fon said not unkindly as she walked over towards Akatsuki and stood over her. Soi Fon's harsh expression softened to one of apathy as she looked down at Akatsuki's body. Akatsuki, with great force of will had managed to twist her head enough to glare up at Soi Fon with eyes full of anger and grim determination. She must of known it was over. Only one of her eyes could still stay open, her arms would be burning in pain and blood leaked from her nose, mouth and her closed eye. But still she looked up with the burning eyes of one who never accepts defeat.

"That's enough right? You don't have to keep fighting any more. Even if your body would obey you its all over," Soi Fin said almost kindly as she knelt down next to Akatsuki and looked down into those burning eyes. Eyes that would never give up until they could no longer stay open. At the very least her enemy had impressed her with her attitude. It was different to the childish person she had been talking to before. At the end Soi Fon got to see this Arrancar's true self.

"I won't give up!" Akatsuki manged to say in between harsh, rasping breaths. Her body wouldn't listen to her anymore and she could barely keep her one good eye open but she refused to give up. She realized how ironic it was that now that she had nowhere left to run too that she found the confidence to fight for herself. Her body was shaking, her vision red with her own blood and she admitted to herself that she was scared but she still wanted to stand. Even if it was just to be pushed over again. "Looks like he was right, guess I really am a masochist huh."

"I see," Soi Fon said apathetically as she reached down and wiped some the blood from Akatsuki's open eye and stood up slowly and turned to walk away. "Bind her and then treat her injuries. Don't be too rough," Soi Fon commanded to her subordinates and she walked away. It was at that very moment that she felt a huge pressure bearing down on her.

* * *

Above Karakura town two figures stood in mute, concentrated silence. It was important that they remained undetected for as long as physically possible if they were to keep the advantage which they now had. At a moments notice they had orders to interfere should events start to take a turn in Soul Societies favor. Ulquiorra watched the chaos below with barely a flicker of interest in his eyes. Grimmjow on the other hand knelt on his haunches in mid air and watched the ground below with a grin of blatant amusement. Things were starting to get interesting.

They had been given very strange and vague orders but both of them could feel the weight of those orders and had little doubt that Aizen was deadly serious. They had received orders to advance to Karakura town and observe the ensuing chaos. Only in one circumstance were they given permission to interfere, if it looked like Akatsuki was in danger of being captured or killed. Neither had questioned the logic of protecting a so called reject deserter but both of them had suspicions.

"What kind of game is Aizen trying to pull anyway?" Grimmjow grunted to Ulquiorra casually.

"It is not my place to say," Ulquiorra replied unemotionally.

"Ha! So you have no idea at all whats going on either huh! That's funny as hell man! I thought you were Aizen's most trusted pet," Grimmjow replied mockingly. Even though Ulquiorra gave him no reaction what so ever he smiled in amusement.

"Its not important, we just need to follow his orders. Aizen-sama's plan will become clear soon enough if we wait," Ulquiorra replied tactfully as he watched the chaos below.

"So your satisfied with that huh?" Grimmjow replied apathetically.

Ulquiorra said nothing for a moment and carried on watching the events taking place far below him. Grimmjow was actually right and this concerned him. Aizen's movements and plans were usually logical enough to determine after some observation of events by himself but this time he was truly out of the loop. It must have had something to do with those ruins in Hueco Mundo's vast desert he was asked to find. He remembered talking to a person he could neither see nor here and he looked over towards Grimmjow. "I suspect it is a ploy."

"No shit smart ass! I worked that out myself! I knew that bitch, she used to visit my territory far too often, no matter how many times I tried to get rid of her, her and that damn Yami. I may not know her as well as you think but I reckon I know her better then most of you. She's not brave and she's not very clever, even though she refused to leave whenever I confronted her she was always shaking and the fear was obviously in her eyes. But you know, that's just it, she's not the kind of person to just up and run like that, she's just not that brave." Grimmjow watched the scene below with a look of apathy worthy of Ulquiorra himself.

"Fear can often masquerade as courage," Ulquiorra replied by way of an answer. It was true he knew, people would do brave things through the influence of fear, it was something he understood how to use all too easily. It had worked so well on Orihime Inoue.

"Ha! You don't get it! Akatsuki was Aizen's little pet servant, he doted on her and she adored him for it. She was no less loyal then you. Something must of spooked her pretty bad to pull that kind of crap in Soul Society. Fleeing from Las Noches and breaking into the Seireitei and then fleeing into the world of the living, it takes a special kind of insanity to pull that off like she did."

"You believe that she is unaware that she is an actor in this unseen play?" Ulquiorra said guardedly. Though he could not disagree that he shared Grimmjow's suspicions he was still weary of his reasons for talking about this. It was far too open for him.

"Lets just say that whatever it was that brought about that special kind of madness was not found by her by accident."

Ulquiorra said nothing and returned his gaze to the task at hand. Aizen obviously needed Akatsuki to believe that she had indeed been declared an enemy of Las Noches but it was also apparent that the Hollow under his command had to believe it as well. As a weak Arrancar with unstable powers her close position to Aizen had always attracted the jealousy from those who deemed themselves more worthy, all it would take was a little push to turn them against her completely. But why was it important that the Espada be kept out of the loop as well. Did they need to believe in the farce just as much as everyone else?

"I see," Ulquiorra said to himself quietly, causing Grimmjow to glance up at him inquiringly. Normally Ulquiorra would be loath to discuss his thoughts with someone like Grimmjow but he had helped him realize something. His faith in Aizen's action was now completely restored. "The best actors are those who don't even know they are part of the performance."

* * *

Soi Fon turned around just as Ichigo's reiatsu bore down on them. The feeling was crushing and overwhelming. She spun around just in time to see a huge explosion of black and red energy erupt from where Akatsuki and her subordinates had been. Her eyes opened wide in shock.

Hollow Ichigo emerged from the center of the burst of energy as it roared around him and grinned manically towards Soi Fon. In his arms he held a very surprised Akatsuki and Soi Fon noticed that she seemed no less surprised to see Ichigo then she was. In fact, she looked almost like she was deciding whether to cry or shout at him. Hollow Ichigo ignored Soi Fon completely and stared down into Akatsuki's one good eye and his grin softened in the smallest possible way. "Yo! Who said you could have all the fun around here anyway?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo, no, how did he break the seal?" Soi Fon mouthed quietly to herself as she found her eyes locked onto Ichigo's. Part of his chest was visible where the seal should have been, even if he had somehow managed to release his spirit form the seal should still have held back a lot of his power. But the seal had been completely erased. She clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes. "He broke the seal already? But that's impossible."

Akatsuki found herself being held tightly in Ichigo's arms and looking up into his far too triumphant eyes. "Ichigo? No, not Ichigo,?" Akatsuki said in genuine surprise. "Why?"

"What? Is that it? After I go through the trouble of saving your sorry ass this is all the thanks I get?" Hollow Ichigo said mockingly as he smiled evilly down at her. Akatsuki really looked like she had taken a beating, in a way this made him think a little bit better of her. He could tell she had stood her ground until her legs had given up from under her. He respected that kind of determination.

Akatsuki laughed nervously as a sweat drop rolled down her forehead. "Well, its not that, its just that I didn't really think it would be you that saved me is all, I mean, its not that I'm not grateful but still," Akatsuki's voice trailed off as she laughed nervously to herself again.

"Heh! Well maybe I should get you to thank me later!" Hollow Ichigo leered at her.

"Ah, well that's not really going to happen," Akatsuki replied irritably while trying to sound cheerful. Hollow Ichigo grinned at her and turned to face Soi Fon. Soi Fon raised her arms into a defensive stance and stared back angrily at Ichigo. Hollow Ichigo was pleased at the reaction.

"This is my woman so I suggest you back off Shinigami scum!" Hollow Ichigo said happily and his eyes shone with barely restrained violence. Akatsuki coughed politely but wasn't sure what to say and just looked towards the floor in embarrassment. She hated herself for it but she felt herself blush. At least no one who notice under all that blood.

"No, your not Kurosaki Ichigo at all, your that other thing, the source of his Hollow powers, the Hollow mask!" Soi Fon stated with as much authority as she could muster. On anyone else it would have sounded forceful but against this overwhelming presence her words started to sound tame and powerless. Hollow Ichigo sneered at her command and tightened his grip on Akatsuki's shoulder which caused her to look up towards him curiously.

"So what about it?" Hollow Ichigo sneered as he spoke.

It was strange Soi Fon thought, ally or not, she should be feeling the same pressure that she was. Hollow or not it was soul crushing to the core. Not only did she show no sign's of fear but she seemed completely at ease. It was almost enough to make her drop her guard but his eyes twisted to look into hers and all she saw was amusement. All around the unconscious forms of her subordinates littered the area and she nodded to herself and tensed herself for the attack.

"Hand over that woman Ichigo! She's not what you think she is! A hundred years ago a Shinigami disappeared from the Seireitei mere months before Aizen started his experiments on his own allies. This girl is that Shinigami, her name was, is Hakumei Suika. Whatever she's told you its a lie Ichigo. She's Aizen's ally."

Hollow Ichigo looked at Soi Fon with narrowed eyes and then glanced down at Akatsuki before looking back at Soi Fon. He considered her words as he trawled through Ichigo's memories for anything of interest. "So what?" Hollow Ichigo replied with a arrogant smile.

Soi Fon backed off slightly but forced herself to hold her ground. This wasn't Ichigo, it was that thing inside him. That source of power. It wouldn't listen to reason, no, rather, it didn't care about reason. Only its own whims.

"That true?" Hollow Ichigo said without taking his eyes off of Soi Fon.

"No! I keep telling her that I have no idea whats she's talking about! Do I look like a Shinigami?" Akatsuki snapped back as tried to look indignant. However with her body it the state it was she just ended up making herself look more even more pitiable.

"To be honest you don't really look like much of a Hollow either."

"What did you just say!"

"You can thank me physically later but right now I think this one wants to play with me, so that will have to wait," Hollow Ichigo sneered as he walked over towards a tree and propped her up against it with surprising gentleness. He looked at her with an apathetic expression as he brushed some hair away from her open eye and stared at her for a moment with emotionless eyes. "Your a mess, make sure you tidy yourself up first, I have standards."

Akatsuki's eyebrow twitched angrily as she forced herself to smile, fighting back the urge to snap back at him. She narrowed her eye and glared up at him. "Is that so!" she said as her brow twitched irritably.

Hollow Ichigo stood up slowly and reached up to the weapon on his back. Akatsuki's eye opened wide at his expression. He wrapped his hand tightly around Zangetsu's hilt and looked up towards the sky. Any minute now it was going rain. In more ways then one.

* * *

Soi Fon knew that Ichigo was no push over even without his Hollow powers. But without the mask she was sure he wasn't anywhere close to full power. She couldn't defeat him head on, but if she could create an opening then maybe. Soi Fon leaped into the air and bore down towards Ichigo with her Zanpakuto aimed at the small of his back. Just as she was about to strike Hollow Ichigo turned up to look at her.

He smiled as he brought Zangetsu round with eye watering speed and slammed the blade straight at Soi Fon's Zapakuto's needle, brushing it aside before it made contact with his skin. As powerful as he was right now he still understood that Soi Fon's needle could probably kill him. Of course, first she had to hit him with it, never mind twice in the same place.

Soi Fon found herself thrown to the side with great ease and before she could react heflashed into view in front of her, striking down hard with a crude but effective slice. Soi Fon flashed from view and appeared behind Hollow Ichigo's exposed back and thrust forward with the needle. Hollow Ichigo grinned and then laughed hysterically as he felt the sharp pin pirick sensation burn its way into his back. he slashed around in a wide arc but met nothing but thin air. A black butterfly spread across his shoulder blade.

Soi Fon flashed behind him again. Hollow Ichigo was fast but he was easily distracted and this she took full advantage of. As long as he thought he had the upper hand he refused to take the fight seriously and that gave her the openings. She aimed for a point just to the side of where she had stabbed him the first time, her intent was not to kill him but to weaken him enough to break free and grab the weakened Akatsuki. Hollow Ichigo reacted with devastating speed and accuracy.

Soi Fon's eyes opened wide in surprise as Hollow Ichigo vanished from view with a movement far too quick for her eyes to even begin following. She felt a sudden pressure against the back of her neck but was unable to react as Hollow Ichigo's hand wrapped around her neck and slammed her face first into the ground. Soi Fon waited for the end to come, his weight and strength keeping her pressed against the ground hard, the impact with ground almost knocking her completely unconscious.

"That's enough right?" Hollow Ichigo asked her just as she had asked Akatsuki, only his voice was bereft of pity.

"Bastard!" Soi Fon managed to say defiantly but all she received in response was another fit of laughter before being lifted into the air and held aloft. Then without warning or reason she was thrown away at great speed towards the distant ground. With the pressure now gone from her neck she felt her body come alive again. Using her hand she flipped herself over hitting the ground and flipped so that she landed facing her opponent.

"Wahahahahaha!" Hollow Ichigo screamed as he flashed towards her just as she hit the ground. He raised Zangetsu above his head and cut down heavily. Soi Fon was taken by surprise and was forced to guard the attack rather then dodge it. Metal screamed against metal as one blade passed over the other. Blood flowed as the edge of Zangetsu cut into Soi Fon's shoulder.

Pulling the blade free Hollow Ichigo started to cut at her again and again with nothing but heavy, inaccurate cuts. Soi Fon managed to block and dodged each and every blow but every time she blocked she felt her arms shake in exhaustion and her shoulder scream out in pain. She realized that he wasn't even trying to cut her anymore, he was just hammering her Zanpakuto like she had hammered Akatsuki's arms. Was he getting some kind of revenge for her.

"Gah!" Soi Fon screamed as another heavy blow smashed her guard completely. Her muscles were screaming and her bones were going to break if this kept up.

Hollow Ichigo watched with amusement as her guard was shattered so very easily. However instead of attacking her exposed body he let her retreat, albeit a lot slower then before. She stood opposite him, her hand reaching up to her bleeding shoulder, the other hanging by her side. The look on her face reminded him that she was not to be taken too lightly, it looked like she had a lot of fight left in her. That pride would keep her fight till the death. He smiled and lifted Zangetsu into the air. Soi Fon started to sprint towards him with the needle aimed straight at his neck.

"Getsuga Tensho," Hollow Ichigo said casualy as he cut down towards Soi Fon.

* * *

Hollow Ichigo stood over the defenseless body of Soi Fon and he laughed in triumph. She had managed to resist the attack but only barely. She knelt on the ground with barely the strenth to look up. Her head fell to her chest as Hollow Ichigo raised zangetsu over her one last time. As he was about to end it a weak but persistent body slammed into his and wrapped her arms around him.

"Ichigo no!" Akatsuki screamed as she wrapped her arms weakly around Hollow Ichigo's chest, hopelessly hoping to hold him back as he held Zangetsu raised over the kneeling Soi Fon's head. Her body shook violently but she refused to let go.

"Ha! Why should I let her go?" Hollow Ichigo said with manic happiness as he looked down at the all but unconscious Soi Fon.

"This isn't you Ichigo, you would never kill an enemy that was already defeated, your too kind for that. Its your biggest weakness after all," Akatsuki said in a voice full of trembling. If not for Hollow Ichigo's body she would have already collapsed and was holding on by sheer willpower.

Hollow Ichigo turned to look down at her and changed his mind, she was too annoying to deal with so he would shut her up. Maybe not kill her, after all she was far too interesting to him right now to kill but she was getting on his nerves. He wanted to knock her off of him but the sight of that weak, frail body barely clinging onto his strong body made him hesitate. "Damn you," he snarled.

At that moment he felt Ichigo's presence flare up from deep within his body. It was so strong that Hollow Ichigo knew that like always he would have to relent against such determination. Only this time he didn't try to argue it out. Color drained back down Ichigo's face, his skin regaining its healthy color and his hair its orange luster. As the change swept past his eyes they too regained their natural color.

"Next time," Hollow Ichigo said just as the last of the change occurred, his voice trailing off as if the speaking were disappearing into the distance.

"Welcome back," Akatsuki said kindly in a soft voice as she slid down the side of his body onto the floor.

"Ugh!" Ichigo moaned as he took back control of his living body. It was a completely new and alien experience compared to having his spiritual body taken from him. He fought against an overwhelming feeling of displacement, just like he had felt in Akatsuki's inner world. But he had heard Akatsuki's voice in that dark place full of anger and desperation. She had reached out to him and pulled him back once again.

"Akatsuki? Akatsuki!" Ichigo turned to see her laying on the floor at his feet and reached down to pick her up. She was asleep in his arms, her face and body blooded but not fatally. But something didn't feel right. She looked like she was in great pain, like she she was having a nightmare. He looked down at Son Fon and cursed under his breath before picking her up as well.


End file.
